On the other hand, Cao Cao learned that Dong Zhuo's 50,000-strong army had been attacking cities and capturing three counties in Ji Province, and he began to have his own ideas.
Cao Cao sat in the main seat and asked the crowd below, "Now that Ji Province is embroiled in a stalemate, shouldn't we launch a general offensive?"
"Wenruo, what do you think?"
Xun Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Although Ji Province is currently embroiled in a fierce battle, the Yellow Turban Army in Qing, Yu, and Jing Provinces is still growing stronger. If we attack rashly, we will surely suffer heavy losses."
"Fengxiao, what do you think?" Cao Cao asked.
Guo Jia stepped forward and said, “My lord, I agree with what Wenruo said. Although the Yellow Turban army in Yu Province is weak, they still have 200,000 troops. We have finally gained a foothold in Lujiang County. If we rashly attack the Yellow Turban army in Yu Province, we will only be fighting on two fronts, which will be extremely disadvantageous to us!”
After pondering for a moment, Cao Cao looked at Lu Li again and asked, "What do you think, sir?"
Lu Li took a deep breath and slowly said, "Mengde, the governors of various states are now recruiting soldiers. If they were to unite to fight against the Yellow Turban Army, the world would probably be at peace long ago."
"But they haven't made a move. Why do you think that is?"
Cao Cao raised an eyebrow; he naturally knew what Lu Li meant.
"They don't want the Yellow Turbans to be defeated, because only if the Yellow Turbans continue to cause trouble can they continue to grow stronger!" Cao Cao said calmly.
"Hehe...Does Mengde also want to do this?" Lu Li laughed.
Cao Cao shook his head and said, "Sir, from the very beginning, my goal has been to annihilate the Yellow Turban Army and restore peace to the world. That has never changed! In three days, we will send troops to attack the Yellow Turban Army in Yu Province!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Li was somewhat moved; he could no longer understand Cao Cao.
I thought Cao Cao would follow the example of those governors, but he chose to be the first to stick his neck out and compete with Liu Xie for Yan Province!
"Mengde, are you sure you want to be the one to stick your neck out?" Lu Li asked in a deep voice.
"Ha ha..."
Cao Cao laughed twice and said, "Sir, I, Cao Mengde, act solely according to my own will!"
Lu Li sighed, then walked up to Sha Tu and said, "Since we're going to fight, why don't we attack Xuzhou!"
"Firstly, the Yellow Turban Army in Yuzhou has a large number of troops, while we only have 100,000 men, which is not enough for us to send out our entire force."
"Secondly, the Yellow Turban army in Xuzhou has less than 100,000 men. As long as we take Xuzhou, we can deter the three provinces of Yu, Yan and Qing."
Cao Cao narrowed his eyes, seemingly considering what Lu Li had said.
At this moment, Guo Jia stared at Shatu and slowly nodded, saying, "What you say makes sense, sir. I think it's feasible!"
"In that case, we shall do as you say, sir!"
Where is Cao Ren?
"Your subordinate is here!"
"I appoint you as the commander-in-chief, and Cao Hong as the deputy commander, leading 80,000 troops to attack Xuzhou in five days!" Cao Cao said in a deep voice.
"Yes, sir!" Cao Ren bowed and acknowledged.
The main reason why Lu Li chose to let Cao Cao attack Xuzhou was that the Yellow Turban rebels in Xuzhou did not obey Lai Fu's command and committed all kinds of evil deeds, burning, killing, looting and plundering.
Rather than letting Leif clean up his own mess, it's better to give the credit to Cao Cao, killing two birds with one stone.
However, Xun Yu seemed to have noticed something amiss and remained silent.
Everyone knows that Jia Xu is a ruthless strategist, best known for his ability to control people's hearts.
Little did they know that Xun Yu was far superior to Jia Xu in understanding people's hearts; it was just that Xun Yu rarely resorted to underhanded tactics.
At night, Lu Li lay alone on his bed, lost in thought, when suddenly there was a knock on the door.
"Who?" Lu Li asked.
“Sir, it’s me!” Xun Yu’s voice came from outside the door.
"What does Wenruo want with me so late?"
Xun Yu coughed lightly and said, "The night is long and I have no desire to sleep. I would like to play a game of chess with you, sir. Would that be alright?"
Lu Li was stunned. Xun Yu was actually asking him to play chess at this time?
But thinking about it, it makes sense. Xun Yu, being a wise man, must have been able to deduce my unusual behavior today, and that's why he came to test me.
"Wenruo, since that's the case, then let's go!"
After Lu Li finished speaking, he put on his clothes, opened the door, and welcomed Xun Yu in.
The two sat facing each other, and Lu Li took out a chess set, and the two began to fight.
"Wenruo, your chess skills are becoming more and more exquisite!"
Lu Li placed a chess piece down and smiled.
Seeing this, Xun Yu frowned and said in a deep voice, "Sir, there is something I don't understand and would like to ask you!"
“Wenruo, please speak!” Lu Li replied.
Xun Yu hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Sir, what exactly are you calculating?"
"Now is clearly not a good time to attack the Yellow Turban Army, so why are you provoking Mengde?"
After all, Cao Cao has only just stabilized his position in Lujiang Commandery. If he were to launch a rash attack, it might be detrimental to his future plans.
Lu Li smiled faintly and said, "Wenruo, do you also want Mengde to become one of those governors?"
"oh?"
Xun Yu frowned slightly, looking at Lu Li with a puzzled expression, and said, "Sir, based on my experience of spending time with Cao Mengde these past few days, I don't think he's that kind of person!"
“You’re wrong, Wenruo. Once a person truly possesses power, they won’t want to let go!” Lu Li said earnestly.
"Sir, I don't understand!"
As a scion of a prominent family, he was already at the pinnacle of power. Moreover, as a Confucian, Xun Yu was educated from a young age to be loyal to the emperor and love his country.
"Let me put it this way: if the aristocratic families cease to exist, and there are no class distinctions among the people of the world, and no imperial power, would you be able to accept that?"
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