Cao Cao sneered, lay on the bed, and secretly plotted how to ruin their plans.
He had assumed that Lu Li intended to use this method to make his trip to Bingzhou a waste of time.
But no one expected that the Yellow Turban Army would have such a plan!
"What a Yuan Shao! How dare he betray his promise!"
He had already allied with Yuan Shao, but Cao Cao was no fool, and naturally wondered if this was a divisive tactic.
If Laifu said they were attacking Yanzhou or Xuzhou, or even Chang'an, he would suspect it was a divisive tactic.
But Lai Fu said that Yuan Shao was going to attack Qingzhou, which is intriguing. In the current situation, this is a golden opportunity.
Both of them coveted Qingzhou. If Yuan Shao joined forces with the Yellow Turban Army and conquered Qingzhou, he would gain control of the three provinces of Qing, You, and Ji!
He, Yuan Shao, would suddenly become the largest warlord in the north, and his decisive battle with Yuan Shao would come sooner!
"Hmph, you want to use me? Then don't blame me for being impolite!" Cao Cao's face darkened, and murderous intent surged in his eyes!
Meanwhile, Yuan Shao, far away in Ji Province, suddenly felt a chill.
"It's only June or July, why does it suddenly feel so cold?" Yuan Shao muttered.
Little did he know that this time, he was tricked by Lu Li again, which made Cao Cao resent him.
As darkness fell, Cao Cao stealthily mounted his horse, abandoning his five thousand troops, and galloped away, fleeing Bingzhou without looking back.
He had to go to Chang'an in person to oversee the battle, and then seize Qingzhou in one fell swoop!
At this moment, Lu Li and Lai Fu appeared on the city wall, looking in the direction Cao Cao had left, and said, "Master, this plan of yours is truly killing two birds with one stone!"
First, it made Cao Cao's trip a waste; he gained no reputation and even left behind 5,000 soldiers, herbs, and grain.
Second, it will sow discord between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao. Once Cao Cao returns to attack Qingzhou, there will inevitably be a battle between him and Yuan Shao. This way, the Yellow Turban Army can recuperate and focus on fighting the plague.
“It’s four birds,” Lu Li said calmly.
"Oh? Who are the other two birds?" Leif asked in surprise.
“Sun Ce, Yuan Shu!” Lu Li said slowly, his eyes deep.
"Hiss! I almost forgot about them!"
Yuan Shu has been eyeing Qingzhou for a long time. If Cao Cao dares to attack Qingzhou, Yuan Shu will definitely attack Xuzhou instead!
At this point, how could Sun Ce let it go? He had a blood feud with Yuan Shu, who had killed his father. How could he sit idly by and watch Yuan Shu grow stronger?
Therefore, he will definitely send troops, and one move will have far-reaching consequences! Leif broke out in a cold sweat; his master was too terrifying.
It is truly chilling that such a simple scheme could instantly plunge these feudal lords into a state of mutual slaughter.
"How are Dong Feng and the others doing? Have they managed to concoct a medicine to treat the plague?" Lu Li changed the subject.
Leif shook his head and said, "No, they have studied various plagues in medical books. At present, they have only managed to concoct medicine to prevent plagues. It will probably take more time to completely solve the problem."
In this era, being able to prevent plagues was already extremely difficult.
No one in later generations could completely eradicate the plague.
After listening, Lu Li said, "This is already the best possible outcome. Give the order to minimize the chances of the people contracting the disease!"
"Yes!" Leif replied, cupping his hands in greeting.
The plague was finally brought under control, and Lu Li couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
………
On the other hand, after returning to Ye City, Cao Cao immediately summoned many generals, including Xun Yu, Guo Jia, Cheng Yu, Xu Chu, and Xiahou Yuan, to discuss the matter.
"My lord, what are your orders for summoning us here?" Xiahou Yuan asked, bowing respectfully.
Cao Cao sighed and said, "Yuan Shao has broken his promise. He has allied with the Yellow Turban Army and is going to attack Qingzhou!"
Xun Yu immediately frowned and asked, "My lord, how did you learn of this news?"
Cao Cao sighed and told them everything that had happened in the past few days.
"This... my lord, you've fallen for their trap!" Guo Jia exclaimed.
"How could Leif possibly reveal such top-secret information at the door?"
Cao Cao sneered and said, "Of course I know he said it on purpose for me to hear!"
"Then why does my lord still...?"
"Fengxiao, have you ever considered that the Yellow Turban Army is also only superficially allied with Yuan Shao?"
Cao Cao's words made Guo Jia fall into deep thought.
Indeed, what the Yellow Turban Army least wanted to see was either Yuan Shao or Cao Cao dominating the north.
Whoever takes Qingzhou will become the largest warlord in the north.
"What Leif said reminded me!"
"Our biggest enemy right now is no longer the Yellow Turban Army, but Yuan Shao!"
"Whoever obtains Qingzhou will become the most powerful warlord in the north!"
Cao Cao said in a deep voice, "Therefore, I must strike first and seize Qingzhou before Yuan Shao can react!"
"But in that case, we'll probably have no choice but to fight Yuan Shao!" Xun Yu said worriedly.
Upon hearing this, Cao Cao smiled bitterly and said, "Does it mean that if I don't attack Yuan Shao, he won't attack me in the future?"
He paused for a moment, then continued, "We will inevitably have a battle with Yuan Shao sooner or later. Since that's the case, we might as well strike first and seize Qingzhou, which would be a greater deterrent to Yuan Shao!"
In fact, Cao Cao's words were not without merit.
Even Guo Jia, Xun Yu, and others couldn't find any fault with it.
But precisely because he couldn't find any fault with it, Guo Jia felt even more uneasy.
Because what Leifu said must have been instructed by Lu Li.
Is it really that simple?
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