Chapter 690: Serving the Emperor to Punish Disobedience!
The red sun rises in the east, and its path is bright!
Thousands of troops, with swords and armors everywhere!
Surrounded by thousands of troops, the Han emperor returned to his loyal Xingyang.
In the Xingyang Palace, all the ministers took their positions.
The shrill voice of the attendant resounded in the hall, "Yanzhou Governor Cao Cao has been favored by the emperor for generations. He is loyal, honest and prudent, and has awe-inspiring moral character. He has worked tirelessly to please the emperor and has made great contributions to the Han Dynasty. He is promoted to General of the Western Expedition, Envoy with Special Seals, and Marquis of Qiao, with a fief of 3,100 households.
Let the world know. "
In the hall, Cao Cao had a calm expression on his face but his eyes were filled with ecstasy.
General, General of the Cavalry, General of the Valiant Cavalry, and General of the Chariots and Cavalry. Li Jue and Guo Si were dead, and there was no one to take up these four important titles. The next one was the important title of General of the Four Expeditions, Four Garrisons, and Four Pings. It should be known that when Li and Guo were giving away official titles in the past, they were only giving out the Four Garrisons and Four Pings, not to mention that Cao Cao's title of General of the Western Expedition was a more honorific title.
In today's world, judging from his official position alone, he is already the pinnacle of military men.
Liu Xie sat at the top. He was quite intelligent and in a short time he felt the difference between Cao Cao and Li Guo.
After the enthronement ceremony, Liu Xie asked, "Sir, I am returning from Guanzhong. I saw that Henan and Luoyang are both safe. I wonder when I can return to Luoyang to pay respect to my ancestors?
Is it inappropriate that the Han Dynasty crown is not in Luoyang?"
As soon as Liu Xie said this, the hall fell silent.
Cao Cao raised his eyes slightly. Most of his ministers were of too low a rank to be qualified to enter the palace, but the faces of the court officials who followed Liu Xie to Xingyang also changed.
Luoyang!
It is not something that can be returned just by saying so. Xun Yu thought to himself that it was not good, and immediately stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, Luoyang is the center of the world, the holy land of the emperor, and it is the place where the honorable throne is.
However, Luoyang is somewhat dilapidated, and the city walls have been damaged. It is a city without walls. Not to mention the army, even bandits can come and go at will. It cannot protect the people, nor can it protect Your Majesty.
Today, the world is in turmoil. There are rebels all over the four seas and rebels everywhere in the world.
Luoyang is located between the Eight Passes and is full of wolves. If Your Majesty moves to Luoyang, you will be stepping into a dangerous place.
In this situation, those who advise Your Majesty to return to Luoyang, don't they have evil intentions and are trying to cause chaos?
Only Cao Hou is worried about Your Majesty."
As soon as Xun Yu said this, the palace fell silent. Liu Xie was a little confused. After a moment of silence, he said, "So that's the case. Then let's stay in Xingyang for a while."
After Cao Cao left with ceremony, Liu Xie and his close ministers finally had time to discuss the General who Conquers the West.
Liu Xie sighed and said, "Gentlemen, come and see what kind of person Cao Cao is."
Everyone looked at each other for a few seconds, and the Minister of Agriculture said, "Your Majesty, Cao Cao is an ally of Yuan Shao. Do we still need to think about what kind of person he is?
Even though he is not like Li and Guo who are disrespectful to their elders and cruel and bloodthirsty, he is definitely treacherous and is definitely not a loyal minister like Wushuang Zhongwu Hou.
Your Majesty, we will always be by your side, through life and death."
There was a flash of lament in Liu Xie's eyes. He knew, of course, that it would be hard to see a loyal minister like Luo Kong again, but he still had some hope in his heart.
"Then why do you think Cao Cao flattered me?"
Hearing Liu Xie's question, everyone in the hall looked at each other. Even if they didn't understand before, they understood now.
Cao Cao returned to the General's Mansion, which had just been inscribed with a plaque, and immediately summoned all the advisers in the shogunate and the generals of the clan.
Cao Cao and Liu Xie are now in a cooperative relationship. One is famous and the other is powerful. They cooperate with each other to create great achievements.
The next period will be a period of great development of Cao Cao's power, but for Cao Cao, one of his most important issues is to balance the relationship between the royal power and his own power.
People are thinking of Han.
It's not just that they miss the Han Dynasty, but that only within the framework of the Han Dynasty can they display their abilities. Not everyone is willing to follow Cao Cao to the end.
The human heart is extremely complex.
Some people were not loyal to a particular emperor and could even undermine the emperor, but usurping the throne was never allowed.
Unless he learns to kill people like Li Jue and Guo Si, he will never be able to have the final say.
The moral code between ruler and subject is one of the greatest principles between heaven and earth.
As everyone entered the mansion, the door slowly closed with a dull sound.
Looking at his advisers, Cao Cao asked one of the most crucial questions, "Everyone, the emperor is now in the army.
What was said in the past, that the emperor would command the disobedient, is now happening before our eyes.
I, Yanzhou, where should I go? "
Where is Yanzhou going?
This is the biggest problem after currying favor with the emperor.
The moment the emperor entered Xingyang, the alliance between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao broke down.
Xun Yu said first: "My lord, Yuan Shao defeated Gongsun Zan and occupied Jizhou. He also has Lü Bu of Bingzhou as an ally and has occupied most of Qingzhou. Gongsun Zan's bones are in his tomb, and Youzhou will also belong to Yuan Shao.
If this is true, Yuan Shao will soon be able to take over the world, occupying four states and competing for supremacy in the south.
As soon as Xun Yu's words came out, all the counselors said, "That's right!"
Cao Cao suddenly burst into laughter, his laughter full of heroic spirit, "If Yuan Shao could really gain control of the world, how could you and I, Cao Cao, sit here?
Liu Bei, a hero of the world, how could he sit in Qingxu?
There is more than one hero in this world, Yuan Benchu!
Since the Later Han Dynasty, the world has been in decline. Since the Taiping period, the Nine Provinces have collapsed, yin and yang have been reversed, and the sky has been stained with blood. I, Cao Cao, will be the one who supports the chaos and restores order.
This is how you curry favor with the emperor.
Everyone, know this today!"
Cao Cao glared at everyone, with one word left to say: "Don't test their ambitions anymore."
Xun Yu, Xun You, Xi Zhicai, Cheng Yu, Guo Jia and the Xiahou and Cao clans all clasped their fists and bowed with solemn expressions.
Guo Jia smiled softly and said, "Since my lord has such a great wish, I have a few words to say.
What Lord Xun said before was not alarmist. If we just sit back and watch, Yuan Shao will surely take over the world.
Yuan Shao is too powerful for us to defeat alone. We must gather strong external allies and weaken his strength. If we can defeat him together, it will not be difficult to win.
Lu Bu is a warrior from a border county, and he is certainly a fickle person. Although I don't know what kind of benefits Yuan Shao promised him, I think it is just a coincidence of interests.
Now our army obeys the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty, and we can use this to promise benefits to Lu Bu. People all over the world are coming for the benefits, and people all over the world are going for the benefits. This will cut off one of Yuan Shao's arms.
The strongest ally was Liu Bei, who had the support of the Lu family. However, once Qingzhou was lost, Linzi and Jimo both fell into the hands of Yuan Shao.
Even so, they still defended Mount Tai in order to connect with our army and gain a foothold in Qingzhou.
There is also a strong supporter called Youzhou!"
"Youzhou? The withered bones of Gongsun Zan in the tomb?"
Cao Cao was puzzled, and after thinking about his understanding of Gongsun Zan, he shook his head and said, "He is not worthy of being Yuan Shao's opponent!"
Guo Jia chuckled and said, “Of course it’s not the incompetent Gongsun Zan.
My lord, the current situation in the world is different from that in the late Han Dynasty. It is no longer a fight among the princes within the Han Dynasty. There are more people who can seize Youzhou than just Yuan Shao.
The Yan State in Liaodong has elite soldiers and brave generals. Once Gongsun Zan shows signs of defeat, they can immediately send tens of thousands of cavalry to occupy Youzhou and become the second Gongsun Zan before the boundary bridge.
At that time, all four sides attacked Yuan Shao. Although Jizhou had many people, the terrain was small. Once they broke through Yanshan, there would be a plain and they could reach Yecheng directly. How could he not be defeated? "
Cao Cao couldn't sit still after hearing this, and said in shock: "This..."
But when he glanced at the crowd, he found that except for Xun Yu who was hesitant to speak, the rest of them had no expression on their faces, and Xi Zhicai even had a look of admiration.
Xun You and Cheng Yu both looked a little gloomy and asked Cao Cao doubtfully, "My lord, is there any problem with what Feng Xiao just said?"
Cao Cao opened his mouth and laughed: "Haha...haha...
No problem, Fengxiao, please continue. "
Guo Jia then said: "A blacksmith must be strong himself.
The key to Yuan Shao's strength lies in defeating Gongsun Zan, obtaining the Youzhou cavalry, the Bingzhou cavalry, and the money, food and population of Jizhou and Qingzhou.
Our army is in Yanzhou, a place where four battles have been fought, and there are opportunities in danger.
To the west, the three rivers of Sizhou are all fertile land.
To the south, Yuzhou is occupied by Yuan Shu. His people are nothing but dry bones in a tomb and cannot defend their land.
If Yuan Shao defeats Gongsun Zan, you can also seize the world from Yuan Shu!
Attack Yuan Shu, occupy Sanhe, and hold the eight passes of Luoyang. Even if Yuan Shao really has four states, he can still fight against him. This is the foundation of kingship and hegemony.
We can attack Guandong to fight with Yuan and Liu, or we can retreat to Guanzhong to occupy Western Qin and swallow up the world. There is no reason for us to fail. "
"Sanhe! Yuzhou!"
Cao Cao stood up, muttered these two words, and looked up into the unknown distance, "Liu Bei, Yan State."
Guo Jia said a lot, but the main point was just two allies, two pieces of land, and one enemy.
"Where do you think our army should focus?"
The counselors looked at each other and said in unison: "Attack Yuan Shu!"
Yuan Shu's current situation is not very good. He is deeply mired in the war with Liu Biao, especially after Gongsun Zan was defeated and Liu Bei withdrew from Qingzhou and entered Xuzhou.
The Northern War ended, Cao Cao broke the alliance and immediately welcomed Liu Xie into Yanzhou. The Yuan-Cao alliance broke down, but the alliance between Yuan Shao and Liu Biao was still there, and Cao Cao and Liu Biao also had a common enemy, Yuan Shu.
Now Cao Cao and Liu Bei wanted to join forces to fight against Yuan Shao, so the alliance between Liu Bei and Yuan Shu broke down, and Yuan Shu was now attacked from both sides.
It never rains but it pours!
Sun Jian, the fierce tiger from Jiangdong, refuses to be disciplined!
As the most capable vassal under Yuan Shu, the army led by Sun Jian was one of the few impressive achievements he could show against Liu Biao.
Sun Jian understood how indispensable he was to Yuan Shu, and so he became more and more arrogant, demanding huge amounts of food, fodder, and weapons, causing Yuan Shu to curse at him countless times.
Anxious as fire.
There comes the wind.
The wind was chilling and biting, but it was not meant to extinguish the fire in people's hearts, but to make it grow stronger.
The wind comes from the east, from the north, from the south, and no one knows.
Runan.
Yuan Shu smashed another piece of fine porcelain, and his heavy breathing made everyone able to feel his anger.
"Damn it! Deserve to die!"
He roared angrily, recalling what was said in the letter. A vicious look flashed across his eyes. He called the servant and delivered a letter.
Looking at the messenger's departing figure, Yuan Shu said grimly: "If God wants you to die, He will make you mad. Sun Jian, this is what you deserve."
The situation in Jingzhou is extremely complicated.
The essence of Jingzhou is naturally Nanyang County, Nan County, and Jiangxia County.
However, this key point of Nanyang County was not in the hands of Liu Biao, but in the hands of Nanyang Prefect Zhao Hong, who was once one of the commanders of the Taiping Army.
Zhao Hong was a vassal of Liu Biao who only obeyed orders but not declarations. Liu Biao was not confident in Zhao Hong and always had troops guarding Xiangyang, ensuring that the two sides did not invade each other.
The battlefield where Yuan Shu and Liu Biao fought was basically in Jiangxia County, and Sun Jian led his army to fight against Liu Biao's army here.
As for the supply of money and food, it was naturally provided by Yuan Shu, who was just a wandering warlord without any foundation.
Sun Jian was inspecting the military camp as usual to prevent Liu Biao from launching a surprise attack, and then he learned that the food and fodder that Yuan Shu was supposed to deliver on time was delayed.
Food and grass are the foundation of the three armies!
Sun Jian was immediately furious and said, "Who dares to withhold food and fodder from my army? If I find out, I will kill them without mercy!"
The messenger then repeated Yuan Shu's original words: "Sun Wentai has lost many soldiers and generals, wasted food and grass, and has not achieved any success. How can he have the face to eat our food?"
Sun Jian was struck by lightning when he heard this, and said in fear and anger: "How can we cut off the food supplies of the army at the front during such a great war?
Wouldn't this mean the destruction of the entire army?
Yuan Gonglu!
Yuan Shu!
You are a brat, not worthy of being consulted!"
Sun Jian was about to conceal the news, but it spread throughout the army almost instantly. The soldiers all knew that no food or fodder had been delivered, and they were very excited.
All the generals under Sun Jian entered the tent and said angrily: "Yuan Shu is unkind, lord, we have no food and grass, we must withdraw."
Sun Jian paced back and forth upon hearing this and said angrily, "Yuan Shu is trying to force me, Sun Jian, to bow my head.
It's really hateful!
We must not let him get what he wants, otherwise his life and death will be in his hands.
The army now has enough food and grass to last for some time.
If Jingzhou also knew that our army was short of food, perhaps we could lure the enemy deep into our territory, defeat the Jingzhou army, and seize Jiangxia.
If we can capture Jiangxia, we can hold on to it, become Liu Biao's vassal, fight back against Yuan Shu, or go downstream and attack Jiangdong. This is where our chance of survival lies."
What Sun Jian said convinced all the generals and was indeed the best way now.
Seeing that no one was dissatisfied, Sun Jian laughed loudly and said, "I will personally explore the land of Jiangxia and find a place that is easy to ambush. I will let the generals of Jingzhou see how I rose from a humble family and how big the gap is between field battle and defending a city."
No one cared that Sun Jian was going to investigate in person.
Among all of Sun Jian's generals, there were not many who could defeat Sun Jian with force alone. He often led the troops in person, and he was also the one who fought against Zhang Jue and survived.
Since entering Jingzhou, they have been charging into battle and have been invincible.
Sun Jian rode out of the military camp with hundreds of elite soldiers on horseback to explore the land of Jiangxia County.
————
The Emperor Sheng appointed the Emperor as the General of the Western Expedition, and granted him the Imperial Seal. The Emperor then summoned all his staff and said, "The world is in turmoil, rebellion is rampant, social order has fallen to the ground, and blood is everywhere. Now I respect the Emperor of Han, and I should command the world to punish the disobedient, restore order, and help the people, so as to preserve the friendship between the Han and his subjects!"
The various scholars were listed among the heroes of the world, Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shu were all dead bones in the tomb. The emperor looked down on them and said, "Yuan Shao attacked Zan, and I defeated Yuan Shu. He occupied the north of the Central Plains, and I occupied the south of the Central Plains. We can run parallel to each other. Do you think so?"
The scholars all agreed. ——"Book of Wei: Chronicle of Emperor Wu"
(End of this chapter)
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