At noon the next day, Guo Jiacai sobered up.
Cao Cao was sitting not far from him, quickly reached out to pour him a glass of water, and said with concern: "Fengxiao, are you awake?"
Guo Jia patted his head, exhaled softly, and said: "This wine from Qingzhou is much stronger than that from Yanzhou."
As he spoke, he subconsciously reached out to touch the wine bottle.
Cao Cao snatched it away and said, "Feng Xiao, then Gong Du and He Yi sent people to say that they are willing to surrender."
Guo Jia looked at the jug and smashed his mouth. He felt his mouth was dry and his whole body felt uncomfortable. He sighed and said: "They must either abandon the city and flee or surrender. How can each of them have an inheritance of hundreds of thousands of people?" Give it up casually and surrender is actually the only way out."
Cao Cao looked serious and said, "What should I do after they surrender?"
Gong Du and He Yi combined have more than 300,000 people, and they need to eat every day. Cao Cao doesn't have that much food at all.
Guo Jia's eyes were fixed on the wine pot, and he said helplessly: "Don't you have a solution, General?"
Cao Cao's serious expression suddenly disappeared, and he laughed and said: "Those who know me are filial piety!"
Smiling, he handed the wine bottle to Guo Jia, his smile slowly faded, and said, "I'm worried about Your Majesty."
When Cao Cao was in the capital, he was rarely scolded by Liu Bian. During this expedition, he was supposed to be promoted, but in the end he was still General Wuwei, which showed that his holy family was damaged!
Guo Jia took a sip of wine and felt refreshed and his thinking became sharper. He smiled calmly and said: "Although I have never met your Majesty, I drew a conclusion from his series of actions. "
"What conclusion?" Cao Cao suddenly sat up a little straighter.
Guo Jia took another sip of wine and said, "Our Majesty actually doesn't care about the means you use to do things or who you will offend. What he cares about is the results - the results he wants."
Cao Cao's narrow eyes narrowed, his expression seemed to be moved.
He remembered that along the way, his bad deeds and scandals had not resulted in any consequences. Instead, he argued with Wang Yun for a few words at the Chancellor's Desk and received a scolding.
Cao Cao thought for a moment and said solemnly: "Okay! Then I will quell the Yellow Turban Army in Qingzhou in the shortest possible time!"
With the surrender of Gong Du and He Yi, Cao Cao's army can be expanded to 100,000 people. 100,000 people are enough for Cao Cao to sweep Qingzhou!
Guo Jia drank and looked outside the door, already thinking about the situation outside Qingzhou.
Cao Cao and Guo Jia discussed it and started to arrange it.
But in Chang'an County, there was a lot of anxiety.
They cannot surrender directly and need to negotiate with Cao Cao for the best terms.
But after sending someone in the morning, there was still no reply at noon, and even the messenger didn't come back. This made Gong Du and He Yi feel like ants on a hot pot, and they couldn't sit still.
If Cao Cao refuses to accept surrender, he is waiting for them to have civil strife so that they can use their heads to pay for their military merits!
Killing thousands, even tens of thousands, and capturing tens of thousands, this feat is simply unimaginable!
Gong Du said solemnly, "What do you think we should do?"
He Yi's expression was gloomy, his eyes flickered, and his mind kept turning, but at this time, what else could he do?
He wanted to abandon those people and run away, but Beihai Country and Donglai County were only so big, where could they run away?
"Send more people!" He Yi gritted his teeth and said, "Tell Cao Cao that as long as he gives us food, we will listen to him!"
Gong Du stared at him for a while and said, "Okay!"
He had no other choice. There was still one meal tonight and half a meal tomorrow morning. By noon tomorrow, they still had no food, and Chang'an County would explode!
News of their money and food being robbed had spread in Chang'an City, but He Yi and Gongdu used their years of prestige to suppress it for the time being by deception and coaxing.
Some senior officials, surrounding Gong Du and He Yi, knew the inside story and were waiting anxiously.
Time passed little by little, and until evening, their messenger still did not come back, and Cao Cao did not reply. This made Gong Du and He Yi feel cold.
Cao Cao ignored their surrender, probably because he wanted heads and military glory!
The credit for recruiting people to surrender is far less important than the number of people killed on the battlefield!
"What should I do?" Gong Du asked He Yi with his face turning slightly pale.
He had already made a plan in his heart. When it got dark and there was no news, he rolled up Xinruan and ran out quietly.
Although after running out, he will definitely lose his reputation and have no place in the world, but it is still better than giving Cao Cao his head.
He Yi looked sinister and gritted his teeth. He had no chance now even if he tried desperately. Life and death were completely in Cao Cao's hands.
He is no better than Gong Du. He is ambitious and is not willing to run away.
"I'm going to Cao Ying!" He Yi suddenly said loudly.
Gong Du was shocked and immediately hesitated.
If He Yi went to Cao Ying, there would be a danger of not being able to come back and die there. But if he offers any conditions and Cao Cao accepts the surrender, Gong Du will be in trouble if he is not present.
Gong Du was struggling with the benefits on one side and life and death on the other.
He Yi didn't care about him, and the people who had recruited him quietly arranged for backup.
After a long while, Gong Du stood up suddenly and said, "I'll go with you!"
He Yi glanced back at him. She originally wanted Gong Du to stay in order to increase her bargaining chips with Cao Cao, but then she thought about it and said, "Okay."
The two gathered their cronies and arranged carefully, just in case.
It didn't take long for the two of them to take a few guards and ride horses straight to Cao's camp.
Compared to Gong Du and He Yi who were anxious and impatient, Cao Ying was much more calm.
Cao Cao was playing chess with Guo Jia at the moment, talking about various things casually.
Cao Cao held the chess piece in his hand, stared at the chessboard, and said: "Zhu Shijun replied to me, saying that I can temporarily appoint the county magistrates of Donglai County and Beihai Kingdom, and he will sign the documents afterwards. But the appointment of the magistrates The power lies with the Chancellor, and we still need to wait for a reply from the Chancellor."
Guo Jia held a wine flask in one hand and a chess piece in the other, saying, "The general has decided?"
Cao Cao's eyes flashed with a sharp light and he said: "Feng Xian is right, those who achieve great things do not stick to trivial matters. If we can quell the banditry in Qingzhou, no matter how big the crime is, Cao Cao will bear it!"
Guo Jia nodded and said: "The imperial court should be able to allocate part of it, and Zhu Shijun will also give part. Together with Beihai Kingdom and Donglai County, it will be enough to last for half a year. By the autumn harvest, everything can be decided."
Cao Cao remained calm, raised his eyelids and glanced at Guo Jia, saying: "There are at least a million Yellow Turban troops everywhere. What's Fengxiao's countermeasure?"
Guo Jia settled down gently, then took a sip of wine and said, "The general has already made a plan, why do you need to ask me?"
Cao Cao suddenly laughed and said, "I feel uneasy if I don't say anything when I'm filial."
Guo Jia shook his head and said: "The general has a strategy and a courageous heart. The reason why he has many setbacks is not due to lack of ability, but actually due to opportunities. Now that the hidden dragon has emerged from the abyss, the general trend has been achieved. General, there is no need to be humble."
After listening to Guo Jia's words, Cao Cao felt proud and confident. He put down his chess pieces and said solemnly: "I will enter Chang'an early tomorrow morning!"
Guo Jia threw down the chess piece and said with a smile: "It's almost done."
Cao Cao thought about the situation in Beihai Kingdom and Donglai County, his narrow eyes flashed, and said: "Collect them, train 50,000 troops, sweep across Beihai Kingdom, and then from Luxiang to Huangxian, Muping, Dongmu, in half a year Inside, quell the banditry in Qingzhou!"
"Be fast!" Guo Jia added.
Now is the autumn harvest. As long as you are fast enough, you can not only catch them by surprise, but also get much-needed money and grain.
Cao Cao nodded and said: "I intend to keep the talented man to work in the fields, but he is straightforward and reckless, so I'm afraid I won't be at ease."
Guo Jia drank wine and said, "I heard that Kong Rong is in Jinan and should be able to come back."
Cao Cao's eyes moved and he said with a smile: "Follow Xiao Zhi and consider thousands of miles, okay, I will prepare a book for Zhu Shijun!"
"Mengde!"
Before Cao Cao finished speaking, Xia Houyuan walked in quickly and said: "Gongdu, He Yi is here, saying he is here to discuss peace."
Cao Cao and Guo Jia looked at each other and smiled.
The so-called 'peace' is just a nice word.
Cao Cao stood up and said loudly: "I ordered people to prepare wine and food. I will not return with them until they are drunk."
Xia Houyuan responded and said, "I'll go right away."
Guo Jia watched Cao Cao off, and Xia Houyuan's back looked at the chessboard, holding the chess pieces, placing them on a position, and said to himself: "Next, will it be Xuzhou or Jizhou?"
Guo Jia looked at the chess game and frowned slightly.
He could predict many things, but he could not be sure about His Majesty in the palace.
If Cao Cao pacified Qingzhou, would he go south to deal with Dong Zhuo and Yuan Shu, or go north to Jizhou and conquer the Black Mountain Army?
Cao Cao led Gongdu and He Yi into the tent in person, smiling constantly and talking about the customs and customs of Beihai Kingdom, never mentioning the matter of 'peace negotiation'.
Gong Du, He Yi and Cao Cao had dealt with each other before. That was many years ago. They were all minions. Of course, Cao Cao was still doing odd jobs for Huangfu Song.
It's a kind of 'communication' where we don't meet each other at all and don't know each other.
In Gongdu, He Yi accompanied Cao Cao awkwardly under Cao Cao's persuasion. He tried to speak several times but was blocked.
After drinking a lot, they tried their best to stay awake. Seeing Cao Cao talking endlessly and quoting scriptures, the two smiled stiffly and looked at each other quietly.
Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, and Cao Ren stood aside with different expressions and surprise.
They had been with Cao Cao for more than ten or twenty years, and this was the first time they knew that Cao Cao was so eloquent.
I don't know how long it took, but the sky turned dark. Gong Du was a little dizzy and couldn't drink anymore. He quickly raised his hand and said: "General Cao, Gong Du has admired him for a long time and has his heart set on the imperial court. He came to see the general this time." I want to share the general’s worries and contribute to the court, so please accept me.”
He Yi frowned. As soon as Gong Du opened his mouth, the initiative fell into Cao Cao's hands.
Just as he was about to open his mouth to make amends, Cao Cao laughed loudly and said, "Cao knows Brother Gong's heart. I want Brother Gong to be Sima and Brother He to be my chief secretary. How about that?"
The military commander's official position is above the county magistrate and below the prefect. The number of troops he leads depends entirely on the commander-in-chief's wishes.
The 'master book', on the other hand, tends to be 'private' and is in charge of official documents and correspondence, and cannot be trusted except by close confidants.
Gong Duqing knew that this was the highest official position that Cao Cao could give him. He hesitated and looked at He Yi.
He Yi did not expect that Cao Cao would offer such a big temptation. She suppressed her drunkenness and said, "General Cao, can you protect me from worries in the future?"
Cao Cao stroked his beard with a drunken look on his face and said, "Don't worry, you two. It's the right time for Cao Cao to hire people. Both of you are great talents. How can you ignore them? If you two sincerely submit, Cao is willing to write a letter to prove it." , don’t blame the past, just talk about your achievements!”
Gong Du heard this and said quickly: "We still have more than 300,000 people. I wonder if General Cao will accept them?"
After all, Gong Du was still worried that Cao Cao cared more about 'heads'.
Cao Cao took another sip of wine, laughed loudly, and said, "Cao Ren, transport 200,000 shi of grain to Chang'an County immediately!"
"Yes!" Cao Ren raised his hand, turned around and strode out.
He Yi stared at Cao Cao, always feeling that something was wrong, and wanted to open her mouth. Cao Cao suddenly stood up and said: "Cao went to the toilet, you two will wait a moment."
He Yi closed her mouth and glanced at Xiahou Yuan. The two brothers Xiahou Dun had sullen faces and felt uneasy.
Cao Cao's behavior was too abnormal.
When Cao Cao left the tent, he saw Cao Ren talking with Gong Du and several of He Yi's soldiers. When those soldiers saw that their commander Qu had reached an agreement with Cao Cao, they even wanted to send 200,000 rations to Chang'an. Overjoyed, they all raised their hands to Cao Cao and said, "Thank you, general."
Cao Cao suppressed his drunkenness and nodded expressionlessly.
These soldiers did not dare to say anything and went in to seal the letter with Gong Du and He Yi.
Seeing this, Cao Cao came to Cao Ren and whispered a few words with cold eyes.
Cao Ren looked slightly shocked and said, "Really do this?"
Cao Cao frowned, and suddenly walked a few steps quickly and came to a remote place. He kept vomiting, but couldn't vomit anything out.
The corners of his face tensed and his fingers inserted into his throat.
"vomit……"
Cao Cao vomited heavily, which was probably wine.
Cao Ren stood behind him. Cao Cao dunked him several times and felt that he was almost vomiting. Then he wiped his mouth, turned around, and said to Cao Ren in a serious tone: "No one is allowed to know about this matter, including Fengxiao!"
Cao Ren nodded and saw Gong Du and He Yi's soldiers coming out. He walked over calmly and said, "Follow me to order some food."
These soldiers were happy and panicked, and rushed to respond.
In Gongdu, He Yi couldn't help but come out when he saw that Cao Cao hadn't returned for so long. Seeing that Cao Ren was really going to order troops, he couldn't help but look at each other and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
If Cao Cao is really willing to recruit them, that would be the best thing.
"Boy, let's keep drinking."
Cao Cao smiled. After vomiting, he sobered up a lot.
He Yi and Gong Du didn't dare to refuse, so they could only continue drinking with Cao Cao.
What they didn't notice was that the two brothers Xiahou Dun and Xia Houyuan left the tent at some point.
Cao Cao gave them official positions and money and food, which made the two of them feel relieved. It was difficult to ask for so many demands they had wanted before.
Cao Ren, Gong Du, and He Yi's soldiers went straight to Chang'an County.
When they arrived at the gate of the city, several soldiers took out their seals and shouted loudly: "General Cao has accepted the two commanders and sent 200,000 shi of grain to show his sincerity. Open the door!"
The people arranged by He Yi and Gong Du at the city gate quickly dropped people to check. After careful inspection, they turned around and said loudly: "It's true!"
"Open the door, open the door!"
In Gongdu, He Yi's cronies were overjoyed and ordered the door to be opened.
Cao Ren entered the city at the lead and looked at the men, women and children at the city gate, dressed in rags, holding various weapons, looking at him expectantly.
"ah……"
Suddenly, Cao Ren shouted and fell off his horse.
"It's a scam!"
Cao Jun shouted loudly, then drew his sword and killed him.
Cao Jun from outside the city swarmed in, shouting and killing like thunder.
"Misunderstand!"
"Misunderstand!"
Gong Du and He Yi's cronies shouted anxiously, but they were greeted by Cao Jun's weapons.
The two brothers Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan came in from outside the city with their troops and horses, rampaging through Chang'an County and killing like a tide.
The Yellow Turban Army in the city was caught off guard and was unable to stop them. They fell and died. For a full hour, they gradually settled down.
Waiting for daybreak, Cao Ren, Xiahou Yuan, Xiahou Dun and others took complete control of the county.
Xia Houyuan wiped the blood from his chest, came to Cao Ren, and said: "A lot of people escaped, and they paid about ten or two hundred thousand."
Cao Ren was the most stable and said: "You guys are optimistic about this place, I will go back and report."
The two brothers Xiahou Dun and Xia Houyuan didn't say much. They still had a lot to do.
By the time Cao Ren returned to the camp, Gong Du and He Yi were so drunk that they couldn't wake up no matter how they screamed.
When no one was around, Cao Cao held the chamber pot and vomited loudly, digging his throat with his hands from time to time.
When Cao Ren came in, he paused for a moment and then left silently.
Cao Cao vomited for a long time, his eyes were red and his face was like iron. He glanced at He Yi and Gong Du who were standing around, stood up and walked out.
As soon as he went out, Cao Ren happened to come over from not far away and said: "General, it's done."
Cao Cao's eyes flashed with joy and he whispered: "How young and strong are you?"
Cao Ren said: "At least fifty or sixty thousand."
"That's enough!" Cao Cao straightened his chest, breathed a long sigh of relief, and looked toward the east with burning eyes.
Naturally, he can't have so many old, weak, women and children. What's the use of them?
What a waste of his food and grass!
How could the sleeping Gong Du and He Yi have thought that Cao Cao was so ruthless and not sincere in recruiting them to surrender?
When the two woke up from their drowsiness at noon, they found that they were in Chang'an County, and they immediately felt that something was not good.
Cao Cao looked at the two of them with a cold expression and said, "Brother Gong, Brother He, I accept you with kindness, but you set up an ambush in the city and almost killed my brother Cao Ren. What crime should you deserve?"
The two of them were both cold and confused. They knelt down together and Gong Du said anxiously: "General Cao, it is not our design. It must be the work of traitors in the city. Please be more careful!"
People had to bow their heads under the eaves, He Yi continued: "We sincerely surrender, and please forgive General Cao!"
Cao Cao's expression suddenly changed, and he quickly stepped forward, helped the two of them up, and said with a smile: "I trust you two, but there is still some unrest in the city, and I need your help."
Gongdu and He Yi looked at each other with haggard faces, and could only respond: "We will take the order."
Cao Cao waved his hand and said: "Yuan Rang, you lead the army commander and chief secretary there."
"Please!" Xiahou Dun raised his hand with a fierce look on his face.
Neither of them dared to raise their heads and responded one after another.
With Gong Du and He Yi coming forward, it was naturally easier for Cao Cao to control the hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turban troops remaining in the city, and the chaotic situation quickly stabilized.
On the other side, Cao Cao took Guo Jia into the city and sighed: "I have never thought of such a thing. Now there are only a few hundred thousand people left, and only fifty or sixty thousand are young and strong."
Guo Jia took a sip of wine and said as if he didn't know anything: "General, is he worried that there is not enough manpower and the strategy needs to be changed?"
Cao Cao nodded solemnly and said, "What do you think of being a filial piety?"
Guo Jia shook his head and said, "General, when you send out troops, are you still worried about not being able to recruit people?"
Cao Cao thought for a while and said: "I plan to send out troops in four groups in three days to sweep the Beihai Kingdom. The largest Yellow Turban Army is in Jiaodong. It is said that there are 500,000 people."
"be quick."
Guo Jia did not drink. He looked at Cao Cao and said, "We must not give them a chance to replenish their food and grass."
It's summer harvest now, and no matter how dilapidated Qingzhou is, there are still some acres of land that can be harvested.
Cao Cao's narrow eyes twitched fiercely and said: "Okay!"
The two of them had a tacit understanding and didn't mention what happened last night at all.
In Chang'an County, countless corpses were transported out. Last night's night attack made the 'Yellow Turban Army' panic. However, with the comfort of Gong Du and He Yi, they gradually calmed down and no major trouble broke out.
Cao Cao acted very quickly, selecting young men to form an army and arranging farm affairs at the same time.
Summer harvest is also summer planting, timing is very important!
In the next few days, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, and even Gong Du led troops to attack everywhere, eliminate banditry, gather victims and bandits, divide the fields, and carry out large-scale farming.
By mid-July, Cao Cao's army swelled to 100,000 men, sweeping through most of Beihai Kingdom, with almost no opponents, and fought all the way to Jiaodong.
Outside Jiaodong City.
Cao Cao's military camp has large tents like clouds and stretches for several miles.
At this time, Cao Cao stood not far away, looking at Jiaodong City, smiling and saying with Guo Jia, Xiahou Dun and others behind him: "In this small Jiaodong, more than 700,000 people have gathered. It's really God who has helped me!"
Under Cao Cao's sweep, the Yellow Turban troops from all walks of life were frightened and gathered in Jiaodong, gradually reaching more than 700,000 people!
Guo Jia drank the wine and said nothing, just shook his head.
More than 700,000 people gathered in a small county town, and they would consume countless amounts of food and grass every day. Not to mention that they were laying siege to the city. Even if they didn't care about it, it wouldn't be long before internal strife would break out in Jiaodong County in order to fight for food. There might even be more. There's a scuffle!
Cao Cao looked at it for a while, then turned around and said to Guo Jia: "Fengxiao, I intend to temporarily keep ten thousand people, and the rest of the troops will clear the fields outside Jiaodong and force them to leave the city and fight!"
He didn't want to delay, he wanted a quick resolution.
Because the situation in the four states of Jing, Xu, Yang, and Ji was changing rapidly, Cao Cao felt that his achievements were not in Qingzhou, but in those four states!
Guo Jia smiled softly and said, "The general is brilliant."
Seeing that Guo Jia had no objections, Cao Cao looked at He Yi and said, "He Yi, please prepare a copy of the book and order all the Yellow Turban troops in Jiaodong to surrender, otherwise the city will be destroyed and the clan will be destroyed!"
"Yes." He Yi greeted him without any hesitation.
He gradually integrated into Cao Cao's "shogunate". As the chief registrar, this was his responsibility, and also because of his special status as the former Yellow Turban Army Commander.
Cao's army attacked everywhere to clean up the periphery of Jiaodong. Apart from Jiaodong, there were almost no other Yellow Turbans in Beihai.
While cleaning up, they still used the old strategy and implemented a strategy to tire out the enemy in Jiaodong, feigning attacks day and night without stopping.
Facing Cao Cao's actions, the Yellow Turban Army in Jiaodong was obviously more tempered. They sent troops out of the city three times and four times to prepare for a battle with Cao Cao. However, Cao Cao's cavalry retreated after hearing the news. The ambush on both wings was almost obvious to them. In panic, the Yellow Turban Army Had to withdraw again.
Similarly, in the evening, Jiaodong City would send troops out to attack at night, but the result was that they never returned twice.
The Yellow Turban Army in Jiaodong County could not fight, and the night attack failed. They had no plan for a while, and locked the four gates tightly, and there was no more movement.
A few days later, the east gate of Jiaodong County suddenly opened, and the Yellow Turban Army swarmed out, not to fight, but to flee in all directions.
Cao Cao came on horseback. Seeing the Yellow Turban Army defeated like this, he shook his head secretly and said: "I thought about how prosperous the Yellow Turban Army was back then, but I didn't expect that it is now in such a state of decline."
Guo Jia shook the wine bottle and said with a smile: "I'm afraid I was frightened by the general's reputation."
Cao Cao laughed, but didn't care. He knew that it was not his reputation, but that these Yellow Turban troops were too scattered, with many hills, no organization, and no one could suppress them. In addition, there were more than 700,000 people. , money and food were quickly exhausted.
If you can't fight or defend, what else can you do except flee?
When~
Cao Cao pulled out his sword fiercely and shouted in a deep voice: "Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan, I order you two to lead an army of 40,000 to pursue! Cao Ren and Gongdu, I order you two to lead an army of 40,000 to capture Jiaodong County!"
"General, take your orders!" The four of them raised their hands and then galloped away.
Asking for a monthly ticket~
Please order both of them~
(End of chapter)
