The gap has passed, and more than 2 months have passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, Sun Ce invited Zhou Yu, Ji Shu, and Huang Yueying to his mansion for a small family banquet.
This is a side hall of the Prefect's Mansion. Sun Ce is sitting in the main seat in the middle, with Zhou Yu on the left and Ji Shu and Huang Yueying on the right. Sun Ce did not arrange any singing or dancing. While everyone was chatting, the servants quickly put the food and wine on the table.
Taking care of Ji Shu and Yueying, he used low-alcohol rice wine. He put it in front of his nose and smelled it, and a pure rice fragrance came to his face. The dishes are mainly meat, such as the meatballs in front of him. Ji Shu can tell after one bite that they are fresh wild boar meat. It seems that Sun Ce took people to hunt today and gained a lot. Coupled with the delicious courgette, it will immediately whet your appetite. .
After drinking a glass of wine, Sun Ce asked.
"Gong Jin, how is the training after the army is reorganized?"
Everyone's hearts moved, and they calculated that time was almost up. Zhou Yu gave Sun Ce a deep look and said seriously.
"The armies are well-trained and have strict orders. They are ready to fight at any time!"
After a slight pause, Zhou Yu added.
"Most of the five thousand wounded soldiers have recovered and returned to the army. More than 800 of them are no longer suitable to join the army. I plan to arrange for them to return to Jiangdong early tomorrow morning."
The battlefield is cruel, and even if some people escape the shadow of death, they cannot escape the pain of disability.
Sun Ce raised his head and drank the wine in the cup, then sighed and said.
"The retired soldiers must be well placed. Send someone back to tell Zhang Hong to pay more attention. Tonight, bring more wine and meat to the military camp, and I will go and see them off in person."
Seeing Zhou Yu nodding in agreement, Sun Ce looked at Ji Shu and asked.
"Zi Yuan, how are you handling the matter at hand?"
Ji Shu immediately understood that Sun Ce was really planning to start a war. He thought about it and answered.
"The renovation of the medical school has been completed, and the first batch of students will start formal classes in a few days. The matter is on track."
"As for the cooperation with the Jiangxia Family, it has just begun. I am afraid it will take another two or three months to achieve results. The Family has shown great sincerity in this matter. If nothing happens, Jiangxia City will have no worries. Once the war starts, I will leave the matter to Zibu with full authority."
Sun Ce nodded and was about to say something, but was interrupted by a voice outside the door.
"Report! Emergency military information!"
"If you have any military information, please report it immediately!"
Hearing Sun Ce's voice, the soldier quickly walked in, knelt down on one knee and clasped his fists in the middle of the hall to report to everyone.
"News came from the north that Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao's 400,000 troops in Guandu, got 130,000 prisoners, and had occupied Yecheng. Yuan Shao died of illness during the retreat, and Dong Zhuo gathered a 100,000 troops to suddenly attack Wancheng. The front is pointing at Xuchang, and Cao Cao has led his army to retreat."
There was no sound in the hall for a while.
Although Liu Bei sent 20,000 troops to help Cao Cao, it was naturally impossible for Liu Bei's troops to work for Cao Cao. In other words, Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao's 400,000 army with only 80,000 troops.
After experiencing so many battles, simple numbers have become intertwined with complex reality. Even though Ji Shu had known the outcome of the Battle of Guandu for a long time, he was still deeply shocked when he heard the news.
Sun Ce waved his hand to let the soldiers retreat, and he sighed in confusion.
"Cao Cao is really a great hero! It's just that he was a little hesitant to withdraw his troops this time."
Yuan Shaogang died, and the four states in Hebei have not yet elected a new leader. In addition, the defeat will inevitably weaken the morale of the army. This is the best opportunity to win the land of Hebei in one go.
Sun Ce's eyes were like fire, revealing his strong excitement and courage to take risks.
"It would be perfect if we send a partial army back to contend with Dong Zhuo to delay the time, and the main force can quickly capture Yuan Shao's territory! With the four states of Hebei in hand, even if we really lose Xuchang and Luoyang, even if we lose Chen Liu, Runan will be able to fight back sooner or later!"
Zhou Yu, on the other hand, was much calmer. He pondered for a while and weighed his thoughts. He didn't retort until Sun Ce finished speaking.
"Bo Fu, you are wrong."
Seeing everyone's eyes turning towards him, Zhou Yu calmly stated his point of view.
"Now that Yuan Shao has just died, if Cao Cao rushes to attack Hebei, the monarchs and ministers of Hebei will definitely unite to fight against Cao Cao."
"You must know that although Yuan Shao was defeated, there are still more than 200,000 troops in Hebei. After this defeat, Yuan Jun will definitely huddle in the city and strengthen his defense. I am afraid it will be difficult to win another big victory in the hurry."
"And Xuchang cannot have enough troops to defend, and the result is self-evident. Once Xuchang and Luoyang are lost, Cao Cao will suffer a big loss if he withdraws his troops."
Speaking of this, Zhou Yu's face was full of excitement and he praised.
"On the other hand, Cao Cao chose to withdraw his troops immediately without any intention of missing the four states of Hebei. When Yuan Shao's three sons saw this situation, would they still unite to counterattack Cao Cao?"
"No! Their first goal must be to compete for the position of Lord of Hebei. There are more than 200,000 Yuan troops who don't need Cao Cao to attack, they will start a civil war on their own!"
"When Cao Cao repulsed Dong Zhuo's army and turned back, even if Yuan's army had not been crippled, Yuan Shao's sons had already been at war with each other. Can they still cooperate to fight against Cao Cao?"
"By then, Cao Cao will not only keep important territory, but also capture the land of Hebei at the minimum cost!"
Zhou Yu's face was already rosy, whether because of drinking or excitement, his eyes were full of appreciation and desire.
After listening to Zhou Yu's words, Sun Ce felt a little discouraged.
"Awesome, awesome! Cao Cao is so scheming, I am certainly not as good as him..."
"If you think about it carefully, Cao Cao raised his troops from Chenliu and established himself in the center of the melee in the Central Plains. There were enemies on all sides, but he often defeated the large with the small and the strong with the weak, and he got to where he is today."
"He defeated Yuan Shao with only 80,000 troops and an army of 400,000. Now he has an army of 200,000. Can I really defeat him in the future?"
Ji Shu knew that Sun Ce was just feeling emotional for a moment and had not really lost confidence, but Ji Shu felt that as the lord, Sun Ce needed to establish his belief in victory, just like the slogan shouted by the Tiger Roaring Camp.
"People in the world often attribute victory or defeat to God's will, thereby tolerating their own failures."
"Some people are blessed with advantages from birth and are proud to be favored by destiny, such as Yuan Shao."
"Some people are doing nothing and don't know how to change, but they are lamenting the fate of people, such as Liu Biao."
"These people are just idiots who don't know the true meaning of fate."
"Destiny can be changed."
Ji Shu shook the dice in his hand, which were entertainment props for gambling and drinking that were placed on the table.
"Bo Fu, let me ask you, if I have ten bamboo tubes instead of one, what are your chances of guessing where the dice is?"
Sun Ce answered without hesitation.
"One percent."
"What about my odds of guessing the dice?"
You were the one who put it there, can you not guess it?
After hearing Ji Shu's questions one after another, Sun Ce was stunned and said.
"Ten percent!"
Ji Shu said with a pointed smile.
"Yes, for those who don't know, the chance of finding the dice is only 10%."
"But for those who know, the chance of finding the dice is 100%!"
"There is no such thing as pure luck in this world."
"Laws, common sense, mentality, personality, and countless variables make up the unpredictable future."
“But what if you could master the most critical elements?”
"Then, he is no longer a variable, but a certainty."
"Luck can be controlled by people, so destiny can also be controlled by people."
"However, human desires are the simplest, and the human heart is the most unpredictable."
"Even my second brother and I can't prove absolute victory to you."
"But as long as you still have the courage to win."
"We wish you the best of luck."
Not only Sun Ce was stunned, but Zhou Yu and Yueying were also stunned.
There are too many things in this era that people cannot understand or explain, so the weight of "God's will" and "fate" in people's hearts is so heavy that it is suffocating.
It was the first time that everyone heard such strange talk, and Sun Ce couldn't help but said excitedly.
"well said!"
"Yes, no matter how powerful Cao Cao is, what do we have to fear when we three brothers are together?!"
"I have made up my mind. Tomorrow the army will discuss countermeasures, and the day after tomorrow we will send troops to conquer Liu Biao. This time we must capture the entire Jingzhou!"
