In the early autumn weather in Puyang, a strong wind blew up, making the leaves in the courtyard rustle. Dark, thick clouds hung low, making the afternoon sky extremely gloomy. The inner courtyard of the State Shepherd's Mansion was even darker because the door was closed to avoid the wind. On both sides of the room, there were only a few candles on the exquisite copper crane-shaped candlesticks captured from Linzi. Cao Cao was sitting on the big couch in the middle in half-light and half-darkness, with a gloomy expression on his face that made people unconsciously feel a little confused. Very afraid.
On the seats on both sides, there is a warrior wearing a military uniform and a turban sitting on each side. The man on the right is thinner and seems to be more afraid of the cold. He is wearing a cloak outside the military uniform and a short knife hanging on his waist. He is sitting upright. He remained motionless; the warrior on the right was taller and more burly. He sat cross-legged and placed the sword across his thigh. His eyes sometimes glanced at the people kneeling on the ground, and sometimes glanced at Cao Cao's face.
After a long while, Cao Cao said to the man kneeling on the ground: "Bo Huai, you have traveled thousands of miles to come here. I am very grateful. However, this is such a big deal that I cannot help but be cautious. I hope you can give me some time to think about it." .”
The people on the ground kowtowed to Cao Cao three times, and then said: "Your Majesty, I also know that this has been rushed and it is difficult for you to prepare, but the matter is serious and affects tens of millions of people in Hebei, so I have to act like this. Sirs We are all waiting for a response in Zhuoxian County. The situation may change overnight. The imperial court is expected to get the news soon, and will send out envoys to send troops soon. It is like putting out fires. I hope you can make a decision soon!"
After that, he stood up and left the inner court without waiting for Cao Cao's reply.
Cao Cao was moved by the envoy's words. As he watched the envoy walk out of the door, he couldn't help but sigh: "I have heard that there are many righteous men in Heshuo, but I didn't expect that any young man could have such courage. I think Chang Lin is now a Even though he is unknown, he can become a great person in the future."
But this is not the time to appreciate young talents. Xiahou Dunzhi on the right said: "But Mengde, what do you think we can do about this matter? It happened suddenly. Yuan Shao is dead. The generals in Hebei want to elect you as their leader. This and The original plan was completely different.”
"The Sword Comes"
It turned out that when Yuan Shao contacted Cao Cao before, Cao Cao had already made a plan. He did not intend to respond to Yuan Shao immediately, but he also had no intention of becoming Liu Bei's minister. What he had in mind was to drive away tigers and devour wolves, waiting for an opportunity to become independent.
He made up his mind to wait until Liu Bei's entire army crossed the river to confront Yuan Shao, then he would take the opportunity to return south, seize the ferry along the river and Tianjing Pass in Hanoi, and cut off Bafu's retreat to the west. At this time, he could send a letter to Yuan Shao, saying that although he and Liu Bei could win in the field battle, his vitality would be severely damaged. At this time, Henan was empty and the Central Plains was undefended. He can then capture the counties in Yuzhou, then seize Chenggaoguan in the west, Qingxu in the east, and regain a powerful force with Liu and Yuan.
Unexpectedly, Yuan Shao was assassinated, and Hebei was in chaos. If we still followed the original plan, it would be a fool's errand to succeed. This made Cao Cao very upset. He couldn't help but think: There were so many sycophants around him at the beginning. I used to remind him to be careful in choosing friends. Unexpectedly, he died in choosing friends in the end.
But the deceased was already dead, so there was no point thinking about it. Cao Cao closed his eyes for a moment and did not express his thoughts. Instead, he raised his head and asked the two people beside him: "Since Ben Chu is dead, the plan can only be scrapped. There is no other way. Yuan Rang, Miaocai, you might as well tell me, I If we go to Hebei, what are the gains and losses?"
Xiahou Dun was quite hesitant. He glanced at the door and said after careful consideration: "Hebei is the most blessed place in the world. It is the richest in the world. If it can be leveled, it will be enough to bring peace to the world. However, Yuan Benchu's generation of heroes and the virtuousness of the noble family are still not enough. You have to end up like this if you submit to the crowd. Mengde, you are an outsider. If you go to Hebei, I am afraid that there will be even more disobedient people. It will be too difficult for a hesitant person to resist the elite soldiers of the Bafu."
Every word Xiahou Dun said was Cao Cao's concern, so Cao Cao raised his jaw and remained silent, and then asked Xia Houyuan for his opinion. You are surrounded by enemies on all sides, do you have to be controlled by others? But now the Hebei is raging, and you are looking for a capable master. Is this not what God has given you? At this time when you are working hard, I am willing to be Mengde's minion and become your emperor's foundation!"
Cao Cao couldn't help but feel moved for a moment or two when he heard Xia Houyuan's passionate words. He thought to himself: Miaocai is indeed a first-class warrior. Listening to his few words made my heart feel hot and I felt like riding a horse to kill! But after just a few snaps of his fingers, he quickly calmed down and thought to himself: Unfortunately, things in the world cannot be accomplished with passion. Well, Wen Ruo is far away in Qingzhou, I'm afraid I have to ask Fengxiao for his opinion.
Thinking of this, he immediately sent someone to summon military advisor Guo Jia. Guo Jia was working in the mansion, so he arrived very quickly. When he learned about Yuan Shao's death, he couldn't help but change his color. But after hearing the news that Hebei had elected Cao Cao as leader, he quickly calmed down, glanced at the faces of the three people in the room, and then asked slowly: "Ming Gong told me this news, has he not made up his mind yet?"
Cao Cao said: "Although I have made up my mind, I am still worried."
As soon as he said this, everyone understood the implication: he had decided to go north, but he was not prepared for how to deal with the chaos.
Guo Jia asked: "I wonder why Duke Ming is worried?"
Cao Cao did not answer immediately, but stood up slowly and turned to examine a long box enshrined behind him, which contained the Zhongxing Sword given to him by the Emperor. Cao Cao stood there for a long time, and then sighed: "It is not difficult to convince the counties in Hebei. It's just that Hebei is in chaos right now, so the imperial court will not miss this opportunity. The knights of Sanhe and the elite soldiers of Taiyuan are probably here too." I'm on the way to be mobilized. Fengxiao, I'm going north without support now. I have to convince the people and resist the imperial court, so I'm afraid I'm not strong enough."
After saying all the sorrow in his heart, Cao Cao turned to look at Guo Jia, but unexpectedly he smiled.
Guo Jia laughed and said: "Ming Gong is obviously so concerned about Hebei that his eyesight is blocked and he cannot see Mount Tai."
When Cao Cao saw him smiling, he couldn't help but smile. His mood gradually calmed down. He sat back at the table and asked again: "Can you tell me more about your filial piety?"
Guo Jia said: "Why bother to elaborate? Duke Ming is thousands of miles away, but he is recommended as the lord of Hebei. It can be seen that there are wise men in Hebei. Mr. Xun once said that Ju Sue and Tian Feng are both virtuous people, and they have their own merits. What's the point of assisting a small group of people? Moreover, the most urgent task is not to win over the people in Hebei, but to win over the Overlord. If the Ming Gong can defeat the Overlord, the princes in Hebei will naturally obey him. If the Ming Gong cannot win, then the whole family will If we are in trouble, why worry about Hebei?"
He saw that Cao Cao's eyes were wide open after hearing this, and knew that the king had understood the main point, so he stopped talking. Cao Cao answered naturally: "Yes, yes." He immediately unfolded the map and ran his fingers along the Jizhou prefectures.
The plan was quickly decided: the top priority now is to go north first, go to Zhuoxian to identify available troops, and then go south back to Yanzhou. It took ten days to leave, twenty days to serve the people, and thirty days to return to the army. Within these sixty days, the heavy troops of the Bafu should still be gathering. At this time, they can take advantage of the Bafu's lack of time to react and attack Henan with lightning speed. If they can defeat the enemy in a field battle, it will be easy to conquer Hebei.
It's just that Cao Cao must bring a lot of troops with him when he goes there, so it's difficult to keep the news secret. Once it leaks out, I'm afraid Yanzhou will be the first to fight. As the base camp that Cao Cao has been operating for several years, Yanzhou must not be lost. Therefore, the candidates to guard Yanzhou are particularly important.
Cao Cao said to Xiahou Dun: "Yuan Rang, you are kind-hearted and have won the hearts of the people. Then I will hand over Yanzhou to you. Even if there is a danger of mountains collapsing or seas overturning, you must hold on until I come back."
Xiahou Dun replied: "Mengde, if there is only Puyang, I dare to promise so, but Yanzhou is thousands of miles away, with thoroughfares in all directions, and there is no danger to defend. If Yanzhou is to be safe, I still need a pair of hands to help."
Cao Cao thought for a moment and replied: "Time is tight now. I can't stay long. I'm afraid I have to leave tomorrow morning. I can't make arrangements for you personally. But there is a person you can trust. You can contact him yourself." He said: "This person is me. I am a childhood friend and have a close relationship with Ben Chu for a long time. I was able to establish myself in Yanzhou back then thanks to his help."
Xiahou Dun understood immediately and ordered about a dozen of his followers. He immediately said goodbye to Cao Cao, went out of the house, rode his horse, and went straight to Chenliu.
After Cao Cao watched him leave, he sat back on the couch. He is not worried about the arrangements within Yanzhou. What matters is who will he lead north? Although Guo Jia had explained the overall situation to him, he was still a little upset after sitting down. He knew why: this would be the first real betrayal in his life.
He had already experienced so many similar betrayals that he thought he was numb. But at the moment before taking action, he realized that he still cared. He recalled the ridiculous years when he and Yuan Shao stole brides when they were young, the excitement with which he and Chen Chong discussed literature, the locust tree that bloomed when Queen Mother He died, and the desperate looks in their eyes when they massacred all the Lu family members. , the last thing that came to mind was the faint cry of my father kneeling in the soil.
At this time, there were a lot of letters and official documents piled up in the desks on the couch, many of which were processed by his staff and were waiting for his final decision. The one at the top is to report the drought in Dongping and ask whether the taxes in Mintun should be reduced. Cao Cao has already written a reply, saying that the tax quotas are the same tax no matter whether there is good or bad season, and no increase or decrease is allowed.
Cao Cao picked up another piece of paper in the middle. It turned out to be a personal letter written by Chen Chong. Chen Chong said in the letter that Kunming Pool has been repaired. He and others took a dip in the pool and saw the vast misty waves of the lake, which was refreshing. Occasionally, yellow leaves fall into the water, and you can see the ripples in the water and the dancing shadows of people. I vaguely think that my old friend is coming from afar, so I miss you a lot and ask you when you will come to the west.
Cao Cao threw the letter into the light. After a burst of dazzling fire, the bamboo paper quickly turned into burnt black ashes.
The poet Cao Cao thought sadly: When he was young, he thought Yuan Shao was unkind, but now it seems that he is no different from when he was a child.
On the second day of August, Cao Cao used the reason of the chaos in Mount Tai to lead the tiger and leopard cavalry and three thousand fast cavalry to leave Puyang, then crossed the river at Cangting and galloped towards Zhuoxian County.
