During this Northern Expedition, Yuan Shu personally took command and sent an army of 200,000 from Yuzhou to Xuzhou, followed by Zhang Liao, Sun Jian, Tai Shici, Wei Yan, Hua Xiong and other generals. The luxurious lineup made Yuan Shu himself feel a little excited.

In addition, Huang Zhong led 50,000 troops to garrison Sili to threaten Yuan Shao. Zhang Ren led 30,000 troops to garrison Hulao Pass and threaten Liu Bei. Xu Rong and Wenpin garrisoned Yuzhou to guard against the possibility of Liu Bei or Cao Cao invading. The three major

With the generals gathered here, Yuan Shu did not believe that Liu Bei and Cao Cao could successfully attack his rear.

When Yuan Shu travels, Gao Shun and Dian Wei Xu Chu naturally have to accompany him. Qu Yi, who has been suppressed for a long time, also comes with him this time, forming three army souls.

This lineup is really a super all-star lineup. Yuan Shu now wants to stand directly in front of Cao Cao and say to him: "I just want to ask you if you are afraid?"

According to Guo Jia, with these generals, even if Yuan Shu does nothing, Cao Cao is basically done. These generals are enough to destroy a country, and they are not afraid of Guishang.

Because the number of soldiers and generals that needed to be mobilized was too large, it was impossible to hide it from the eyes of Cao Cao and Liu Bei. Yuan Shu simply mobilized troops from all over the country to Yuzhou with great fanfare, and laid everything out in front of Cao Cao and Liu Bei.

What Yuan Shu showed directly made Cao Cao feel a little scared. Although Cao Cao made a fortune by robbing tombs and raised nearly 400,000 troops, most of these soldiers were new soldiers, and few of them were young and strong.

There is no way, the welfare of soldiers after the Yellow Turban Rebellion has long disappeared. After years of battles, almost all the young and strong people in the Central Plains have been captured by these princes. The remaining old ones, the young ones, Cao Cao's army now has many

The young soldiers are only eleven or twelve years old, and the oldest ones are over forty years old. In the 400,000-strong army, less than 10% are veterans and less than half are young men. One can imagine their combat power.

Although there are some new recruits on Yuan Shu's side, the number of veterans is definitely more than 50%. Moreover, Yuan Shu, who is wealthy and wealthy, has no shortage of soldiers or money and food. Each of these soldiers is big and muscular, with strict training and sophisticated weapons.

, even the new soldiers' combat strength is comparable to that of the veterans in Cao Cao's hands.

"Zhicai, what should we do now?" Cao Cao looked at the information and said with a dark face. How long has it been since the last melee in the Central Plains? This fight has started again, and Yuan Shu really doesn't give him any breathing space.

What an opportunity!

"Your Majesty, the top priority is to reorganize the troops and prepare for battle. In addition, we need to contact Liu Bei and Yuan Benzhu. We alone may not be able to resist Yuan Shu's attack." Xi Zhicai said with a serious face.

He had thought of today's situation since the day he proposed an alliance with Yuan Shao and Liu Bei. Otherwise, he would not have objected to Cao Cao's forcible recruitment of 400,000 troops from the two states of Xu because he was still young. With Cao Cao's family background, these 400,000 troops could

It would be good to maintain it for two years, but now, as Xi Zhicai thought, Yuan Shu would attack with his troops in less than a year.

"Yuan Shu stationed 50,000 troops in Sili, as well as 30,000 Youzhou cavalry from the east of Liaodong. In addition, Youzhou has just been pacified. Yuan Shao cannot take his hand away at all. The support he can provide may be limited. Liu Bei is even more

Needless to say, he is mediocre and indecisive. He does not dare to move Yuan Shu's troops and horses stationed in Yuzhou and Sili. It is unlikely that we can win reinforcements." Cao Cao said with a bitter smile.

His family knows his own affairs, and the so-called tripartite alliance is actually him doing the liaison alone. Liu Bei and Yuan Shao are both "smart people", or refined egoists. If Liu Bei is the one being attacked, he is sure to persuade Yuan Shao to join them.

He tried his best to send troops to help, but now he was the one being attacked, so it was difficult to grasp the attitude of these two people.

"Everyone understands the meaning of death and coldness, but how many people can see through it like my lord? The most indispensable thing in this world is smart people, and they will not do anything without profit." Xi Zhicai said calmly.

"So Zhicai, do you have any good ideas?"

"In the past, the six countries were attacking each other, but why were they able to unite into one, so that the Qin State did not dare to leave Hangu for more than ten years?" Xi Zhicai suddenly asked.

"It's because of Su Qin's lobbying efforts. Zhicai, you mean?" Cao Cao said with a slight hesitation.

Xi Zhicai smiled slightly: "The current situation is clear at a glance. The alliance is an absolute good thing for the three of us, just like the Six Kingdoms and Western Qin at the beginning. No matter how short-sighted Yuan Shao and Liu Bei are, they can see this. All they need is Yi Ru

Su Qin's general lobbyists can go to persuade Yuan Shao and Liu Bei to do their best to help."

"But who in the world has such ability? Where can I find talents like Su Qin and Zhang Yi?" Cao Cao asked.

"My lord, good fortune has come to the sky. A hero happened to visit Yu the day before yesterday and took the initiative to bring this matter up. After Zhong had a talk with him, he found that this man indeed has an astonishing talent, and this may be possible," Xi Zhicai said.

"Oh? To come forward at this juncture and let you personally speak for him, it seems that this person is indeed very capable!" Cao Cao said with a double entendre.

He only got the exact news of Yuan Shu's dispatch of troops today, but the other party came to recommend himself two days in advance. If this person does not have extraordinary judgment and self-confidence, it means that he has a good background and has done excellent intelligence work. It is more likely.

Yes, both are considered.

"Indeed, he is not young. This son's name is Sima Yi. He is the second son of Sima Jiangong and the younger brother of Boda. He is extraordinary in conversation and speech. He is far better than his brother with his intelligence and listening skills. He is not loyal." Xi Zhicai.

Don't hesitate to express your praises.

"Oh?" Cao Cao frowned and said, "Since I am the son of Duke Jiang, why should I recommend myself to you at all costs?"

"This man is extremely arrogant and his plans are not small." Xi Zhicai gave a pertinent evaluation.

In Sima Yi, he not only saw arrogance, but also a hint of ambition hidden deep in the heart. However, in Cao Cao's current situation, he no longer had time to consider hidden dangers and other issues. As long as he has talent, he is willing to serve Cao Cao

, everything else can be postponed. Today’s Cao Cao is not qualified to be picky.

Cao Cao just asked casually. Although he was very suspicious, he didn't think anything of it in the current critical situation. He directly ignored the matter and asked: "Is he really sure that he can convince Yuan Shao and Liu Bei? But what?

Require?"

"In Yizhong's view, this son is not a person who speaks nonsense. Since he raised this matter, he should have a certain degree of confidence. Otherwise, with his talents, he would not have to sacrifice the near and far to come to Zhong and recommend himself. This matter is that he belongs to the Lord.

He will definitely ensure that the first thing he does is completed perfectly. His request is that he hopes that the Lord can provide some treasures and write a letter in his own hand. He also needs a handwritten letter from Wen Ruo."

"Handwriting? To whom?" Cao Cao asked.

"Your Majesty, your handwriting belongs to Xu You, and Wen Ruo's handwriting belongs to Chen Qun." Xi Zhicai said with bright eyes.
Chapter completed!