Autumn, the fifteenth year of Jian'an.
Not to mention that Liu Bei governed Wu and Chu, and Huo Jun moved to the north of Zhenjiang.
Today, Cao Cao is being criticized a lot in Yecheng.
Where does the criticism come from? It starts with Cao Cao's spring edict to all counties and counties seeking talents.
Cao Cao issued an order to seek talents, and there was a hint of disobedience at the beginning and end. Scholars from the Central Plains noticed this and criticized Cao Cao a lot. Moreover, Liu Bei controlled Wu Chu and was mobilizing political public opinion to accuse Cao Cao of being a Han traitor in the name of Han Prime Minister. He had been determined to destroy the Han Dynasty for a long time!
Under this situation, Cao Cao, who was in Yecheng, was not only worried about public opinion, but also worried about the next military strategy.
"When Gu Jiu was favored by the Han Dynasty and moved to Dian Military Academy, he wanted to serve the country against thieves. He also wanted to be named a marquis as a general who conquered the west. Then he inscribed his tomb and said, "The tomb of Cao Hou, the former general of the Han Dynasty who conquered the west." This is his ambition. But faced with Dong Zhuo's troubles, he raised righteous soldiers..."
Cao Cao sat in the hall, handed the "Ling of Chronicles" to Chen Lin, and sighed to the people around him, saying: "Gu Meng has been favored by the Han for three generations. He started to attack Dong Zhuo, conquered the Yellow Turbans alone, destroyed Yuan Shu, leveled Hebei, and destroyed Liu Biao. Nowadays, orphans are often criticized by others. If there were no orphans in the country, I don’t know how many people would be called emperors and how many would be called kings!”
Sun Quan said: "The Prime Minister has been very kind to the Han Dynasty. Most of the criticisms today are that villains are jealous when they see the Prime Minister's achievements and speak slanderously. How can Quan and the ministers ignore the achievements of the Prime Minister."
After hearing Sun Quan's words, Cao Cao felt a little better and said humbly: "As the prime minister, I have already reached the position of being the most respected minister. Some people who do not believe in the destiny of heaven may criticize me out of selfish motives and say that I have unworthy ambitions. Now I have Ming Gu's ambition. Also remembering that the rivers and lakes are not yet quiet, I am returning 20,000 households in the three counties of Yangxia, Zhe and Ku, and only taking over 10,000 households in Wuping, so as to reduce the slander and discussion of Gu."
"The Prime Minister's loyalty and integrity can be seen in the sky!" Sun Quan and others praised him and said.
Cao Cao seemed satisfied with Sun Quan's support. He chatted with everyone for a long time with a smile and left the meeting hall.
Arriving at the garden, Jia Xu had been waiting in the pavilion for a long time. Cao Cao invited Jia Xu to sit down, drink wine and enjoy the autumn scenery.
"There are many people who criticize me, but I only have a clear will. I have no choice but to order myself to report." Cao Cao said depressedly.
Jia Xu smiled, cupped his hands and said: "The Prime Minister has led an army of 300,000 people. If he wants to rebel against the Emperor, he should have done so long ago. Why bother to express his ambition and give orders? Today, the world is not in peace, so the Prime Minister should put the thieves first. What a villain. Words are nothing to worry about!”
Cao Cao took the rare opportunity to pour a bottle of wine for Jia Xu and asked: "I made a suggestion at the beginning of the year. I thought about it for a long time. I also asked all the ministers, but I don't know if Wen He can elaborate on his opinion?"
"No!"
Jia Xu held Cao Cao's hand and said: "The Prime Minister is respectful, but Xu is humble. How dare you accept this gift from the Prime Minister? You should drink wine for the Prime Minister."
"Ha ha!"
Cao Cao laughed a few times when he saw Jia Xu's actions, and seemed quite satisfied. When talking to someone like Jia Xu, it is difficult to know his true inner thoughts, but he can always make you feel comfortable.
After drinking for Cao Cao, Jia Xu said: "The Prime Minister conquered China after more than ten years of fighting in the south and the north. Liu Bei's method of annexation inherited Liu Biao's kindness, but his foundation is shallow. This Liu Bei is not as good as the Prime Minister!"
"In the land of Bashu, the people are rich and the soldiers are strong, and Wu and Chu can be expected to take it; in the land of Guanxi, the people are strong and strong, and the people of Bashu can be taken. In the land of Guanxi, the prime minister often rules it with restraints. When Yuan was destroyed in the past, the Ma family , the Han family has contributed a lot."
"On the western frontier of Bashu, Liu Zhang was secretly weak. He went towards Qin and late Chu. He first surrendered to the prime minister and later allied with Liu Bei. Now that Liu Bei has taken control of Wu and Chu, he must have a glimpse of Bashu. The prime minister must not let Liu Bei take it, otherwise Liu Bei will occupy the four southern states. It has a vast territory and rivers. It is dangerous and the mountain is a fortress, so it will be difficult to control it."
"If you want to capture Bashu, you must pass through Guanxi. Although the generals in Guanxi have no ambition to expand the territory, they have the desire to protect it. If the prime minister rushes to cross, Guanxi will rebel. However, the generals in Guanxi are greedy for profit and are proud of their courage. The prime minister can pretend to be the emperor, grant rewards to generals, and conquer Zhang Lu."
Jia Xu stroked his beard and talked long and carefully.
"If two tigers fight each other, one of them will be injured. The Prime Minister will rush in with his troops, capture and kill the two tigers, and capture Guanzhong and Hanzhong. At that time, Guanxi and Hanzhong are in control, so why not go down and capture Bashu?"
Cao Cao pondered for a long time and said: "Gujiang Wenhe's strategy was passed on to Zhang Derong (Zhang Ji), Zhong Yuanchang, and Wei Boxi. They either followed it or had objections. Those who disagreed at that time were afraid of being shut down. The generals in the west are unwilling to march south to Hanzhong; perhaps Hanzhong is dangerous and difficult to defeat."
After a pause, Cao Cao said: "I wanted to implement the false strategy of attacking Guo, forcing the generals in Guanxi to rebel, march into Guanzhong, Pinglianglong, and visit Bashu. However, Liu Bei is in the south, and he is alone and uneasy."
"otherwise!"
Jia Xu explained: "There are more than ten generals in Guanxi. The largest ones are no more than Ma Chao and Han Sui, who have tens of thousands of troops. The rest may have thousands of troops and horses, which is not a worry. The only ones who are worried now are Ma and Han. If Hanzhong is promised to Ma Chao, how can Ma Chao be displeased?"
"Ma Chao believed in the authority of the Western Territory, and was powerful and powerful, and could win the hearts of the Qiang and Di. If Ma Chao enters Shu, there will be many followers, so why worry about the generals in Guanxi not wanting to enter. At that time, Ma Chao was marching south, and there were few soldiers in Guanzhong. The prime minister followed him. How difficult is it to attack it!"
Ma Chao's reputation is so wide and his appearance so early is beyond everyone's imagination. Not talking about Ma Chao's battle with Ma Teng, we only look at the battle of Guandu and Cao Cao's battle to merge the states.
In the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao relied on the support of more than ten thousand people led by Ma Chao to defeat the tens of thousands of coalition forces of Gao Gan and the Southern Huns. Ma Chao was only 26 years old at the time; in the Battle of Bingzhou, Zhang Baiqi and Wei Gu rebelled, and Ma Chao and Ma Teng quell the rebellion.
In history, before and after the Battle of Chibi, Zhou Yu also suggested to Sun Quan that he could unite with Ma Chao from the northwest to capture the Central Plains. It can be seen that Ma Chao was famous and outstanding at that time, and even Zhou Yu recognized him.
"No one has heard of Ma Chao's bravery. However, the population of Hanzhong is abundant, and Ma Chao takes them, fearing that he will become too powerful and difficult to control." Cao Cao said worriedly.
Jia Xu chuckled a few times and said: "Ma Chao is brave but ruthless. The Qiang and Di admire him, but the Han people fear him. At that time, he left Guanlong and entered Shu. There is no source of water, so he will be safe for a long time!"
"If Ma Chao enters Shu, how can Han Sui not enter? There has been a gap between Ma and Han for many years. Although they have been reconciled by the Prime Minister, An can relieve his hatred. Moreover, the road to Shu is difficult, how can it be taken lightly? If Ma and Han capture Hanzhong together, People who are greedy for profit will have disputes.”
"The Prime Minister is superior to others with his troops, and always has his troops behind him. What can Ma Chao have to fear?"
Such words made Cao Cao put away all the troubles in his heart.
After laughing a few times, Cao Cao said: "In this case, I have come to express my opinion to the emperor, saying that Liu Zhang has evil intentions and behaves like an emperor, depriving him of his position as the shepherd of Yizhou, making Han Sui the governor of Yizhou, and worshiping Ma Chao as the prefect of Hanzhong. With Zhang Ji As an envoy, I sent an envoy to Guanzhong to persuade Ma Chao and Han Sui to march south to Hanzhong."
After a pause, Cao Cao smiled and said: "I heard that Liu Bei moved his headquarters to E County in the south of the Yangtze River and wanted to personally guard the border. I will march south to Wu and Chu next year, drink the water of Majiang River, and enhance his military power to undermine Liu Bei's reputation."
After hearing this, Jia Xu bowed his hands in obeisance and praised: "The Prime Minister is wise. If you act like this, Ma Chao and Han Sui will definitely raise an army!"
Since we have adopted Jia Xu's strategy, we should be more realistic when acting. Cao Cao's army cannot stay still when he mobilizes his horses and conquers Hanzhong, so when he peeks at Guanxi there, he will naturally take action. It would be better to take advantage of Liu Bei's instability and attack Wu and Chu southward.
As for how to march, the goal should be directly at Liu Bei's government in Wuhan!
The only way Cao Cao could adopt Jia Xu's strategy was to send Zhang Ji as envoy to Ma Chao to persuade him to march south. At that time, he also had the means to persuade Han Sui to march south to Hanzhong.
After chatting with Jia Xu, Cao Cao summoned Han Sui's envoy Yan Xing into the palace.
Having learned Zhang Song's lesson, Cao Cao treated Yan Xing very well, claiming that he was the governor of Qianwei, bestowing him with a large amount of money, and sending his close associates to tell him. After careful consideration, Yan Xing secretly defected to Cao Cao and was willing to serve Cao Cao.
As for why Han Sui sent Yan Xing as envoy to Cao Cao, it was because he wanted to find out the details of Cao Cao's situation after the defeat of Jinkou.
Yan Xing is a typical northwester, with a tall body and strong arms. However, Yan Xing was not just a warrior from the northwest. He was knowledgeable and able to assess the situation.
"Let's pay homage to the Prime Minister." Yan Xing saluted and paid homage to Cao Cao.
"Yan Ming doesn't need to be polite!" Cao Cao raised his hand and said with a smile, "Have you enjoyed your visit to Yecheng recently?"
Yan Xing showed gratitude and said: "The Prime Minister has been kind to you, but it is difficult to repay him. But he hates that he will return to the west and will not be able to serve the Prime Minister on his left and right."
Cao Cao stroked his beard and said with a smile: "Your father's official title has been given to me. After you return to the west, you can send your father to the court as an official to avoid the trouble of the northwest war."
In order to express his desire to serve Cao Cao, Yan Xing took the initiative to send his old father to Yecheng.
Yan Xing bowed in admiration again and said, "I will never forget the kindness of the Prime Minister. I should persuade Duke Han to enter Ye City and serve the Prime Minister."
Cao Cao waved his hand and said: "Gu is familiar with Wen Yue and knows his character. I will wait and see for a few more years, how can I be willing to enter Ye easily?"
Han Sui, an old fox, still hesitated to wait and see before the Battle of Chrysostom, and only allowed his son to go to Ye and become a hostage. Now that Chrysostom was defeated, Cao Cao's power was not as strong as before. How could he follow the example of Ma Teng and enter Ye City because of Yan Xing's words?
"Please give me your orders, Duke Cao!" Yan Xing said with his hands raised.
"Liu Zhang usurped rebellion in Chengdu and caused chaos in Yizhou. He refused to obey the king's orders and wanted to conquer it. However, Liu Bei rebelled against Wu Chu and he could not escape. He wanted to worship Han Wenyu as the governor of Yizhou, and Ma Mengqi became the prefect of Hanzhong and went to conquer Bashu. , surrendered to Liu Zhang. Yanming appointed Qianwei as the prefect, and he could also lead his troops to the post."
Cao Cao smiled and said, "I wonder if Yan Ming is willing?"
After a little hesitation, Yan Xing said: "Han Gong is suspicious and is afraid that it will be difficult to persuade She's army to enter Ye. However, it may be feasible to persuade him to march south to Yizhou."
"Good!" Cao Cao said: "If Wen Yue has any doubts, it can be said that Gu wants to declare Ma Teng the governor of Yizhou."
"No!" Yan Xing understood what Cao Cao said and responded with his hands in hand.
There's something going on at home, so I'm late
(End of chapter)
