Seeing Cao Cao's actions, Yuan Shao instantly understood.
Then Yuan Shao said, "I have been wondering about this for a long time. Mengde, look, Zhang Rang is with 10,000 Youzhou soldiers, as well as Huang Zhong, Ma Teng and others, to investigate the population of Jizhou and garrison Changshan and Zhongshan."
The Commandant of the Capital Region was ordered to investigate the King of Bohai, but for some reason, he suddenly stopped in Zhao County, thus avoiding being besieged.
Although Mr. Ciming was trapped in Jiyin, he happened to block the eastward advance of the Yanzhou rebels.
Although the situation at the Grand Commandant's place is unclear, according to intelligence, the rebels in Qingzhou have not yet joined forces with the rebels in Yanzhou, and are obviously being blocked in Qingzhou by the Grand Commandant and Instructor Zhu Jun.
Therefore, although the rebel army appears to have a large number of soldiers and ample supplies, and is quite powerful, it was actually in a situation of being divided and surrounded from the very beginning!
Upon hearing Yuan Shao's words, Cao Cao nodded with a smile: "What Yuan Shao said is correct... It seems that Your Majesty had been aware of the rebels' movements for a long time and thus made preparations in advance!"
"Your Majesty, you are truly a divine being!!"
Yuan Shao's suspicions were confirmed, and he couldn't help but praise the emperor who was sitting firmly in Luoyang.
Immediately afterward, Cao Cao glanced silently outside the tent, then whispered, "I'm afraid that long ago, His Majesty already possessed a hidden and exceptionally powerful intelligence force..."
Yuan Shao's expression immediately turned serious. "Aman, this is merely speculation; you must not speak of it lightly!"
Cao Cao smiled easily and said, "Benchu, rest assured, how could I speak carelessly about such matters? What I don't understand is, since Your Majesty knew about their rebellion so early, why didn't you take action to nip the danger in the bud beforehand, instead of waiting for them to raise an army and cause chaos?"
Yuan Shao said, "Alas, knowing this is one thing, but these people's power is deeply entrenched. Without compelling evidence, Your Majesty dares not act rashly!"
Cao Cao nodded in agreement: "That's true. If there's no serious crime of treason, I'm afraid His Majesty wouldn't dare to act rashly. I suppose His Majesty deliberately made us slow down our march to mislead them and make them all jump out..."
"Aman, be careful what you say..."
Before Cao Cao could finish speaking, Yuan Shao hurriedly covered Cao Cao's mouth with his hand, and then said in a deep voice, "How could you and I possibly fathom His Majesty's thoughts?"
Upon hearing this, Cao Cao broke out in a cold sweat, then nodded solemnly: "What you say is true. The emperor's thoughts are unfathomable. It's getting late, so I must take my leave!"
After saying this, Cao Cao got up and walked out of the tent.
"Huh? Mengde, what are you doing in Yuan Shao's tent?"
Cao Cao, who had just stepped out of Yuan Shao's camp, heard a voice.
Turning his head, he saw that it was Wen Chou, who was in charge of patrolling the camp, who happened to be passing by and was looking at Cao Cao with a mocking expression.
What's it to you?
Upon seeing this, Cao Cao's face darkened, and he immediately turned and left.
"Tch!"
Wen Chou's lips twitched. He glanced at Yuan Shao's tent, then left with a smile on his face.
A day later, Huangfu Gui led 15,000 northern troops to Chenliu. Instead of advancing further, he ordered the army to set up camp north of Chenliu and drill their horses every day, but did not make any other moves.
Three days later, 20,000 able-bodied men from Luoyang, led by the Imperial Guards, arrived at the border between Hanoi and Dongjun to protect Sili.
During this period, Wang Yue and Yang Qiu led the Imperial Guard and 40,000 able-bodied men from Zhao County to attack Wei County, attempting to connect with Huangfu Gui's garrison, but they failed and had no choice but to retreat, where they faced off against the rebels in Julu.
This greatly boosted Liu Kui's confidence. While deploying troops to defend Julu and Wei Commandery, Liu Kui also began to focus on winning over the scholars and powerful families of Ji Province.
Six days later, Zhang Huan's 20,000 Bingzhou troops arrived in Changshan and secretly stationed themselves in Yuanshi County, eyeing Julu with hostility.
Lu Zhi's 30,000 troops from Youzhou also detoured through Guangyang and secretly stationed themselves in Yuecheng, Hejian, eyeing Nanpi.
Jia Xu also led the secret agents of the Investigation Bureau to Zhao County, where he met Yang Qiu and Wang Yue.
After exchanging greetings, Jia Xu also informed the two men in detail about the personnel, equipment, provisions, and marching plans of the rebel army in the three provinces.
"What a remarkable Jia Wenhe! He has managed to manipulate hundreds of large and small gentry families, thousands of powerful clans, and hundreds of thousands of people in the three provinces of Ji, Yan, and Qing. He is truly astounding!"
When Wang Yue learned that there were tens of thousands of agents from the Intelligence Bureau hidden among the rebels, he was shocked.
"General Wang is too kind. When I first arrived in Jizhou, I heard rumors of it, so I made arrangements in advance!"
Faced with Wang Yue's praise, Jia Xu displayed both a touch of reserve and a hint of composure.
Jia Xu knew that all of this was the work of the emperor, but he dared not say so and could only take credit for it himself.
December 1st.
At this time, twenty-two days had passed since Liu Kui raised his army. More than 70% of the scholars and powerful families in Ji Province had joined the rebel army under the coercion and inducement of Liu Kui, Lu Qing and others. The rest who did not follow were killed by Liu Kui.
Meanwhile, the rebel army in Ji Province increased from 120,000 to 200,000 and headed towards Xindu, preparing to take Hejian first.
The rebel army in Yanzhou has grown to 150,000 and is marching towards Puyang in Dongjun.
The rebel army in Qingzhou numbered 170,000 and marched towards Jibei Kingdom in eastern Yanzhou.
Urgent reports were also continuously transmitted to Luoyang through the secret agents of the Investigation Bureau.
Upon hearing the latest news about the rebels, Liu Hong and the officials of the court were also shocked.
The rebel army, totaling more than 400,000 people, was truly rare since the founding of the Han Dynasty, and this was only the available men from the homes of scholars and powerful families.
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