At the Marquis of Wei's Mansion in Changyi City, Cao Cao held a banquet, especially for Xu You, a friend he had not seen for many years.
After drinking for three rounds, Cao Cao changed his unruly habits, looked at Xu You, and asked slowly: "Isn't Ziyuan at Yanhou's place? Why did he come all the way to Yanzhou?"
Xu You had already guessed that Cao Cao would ask this question. He chuckled twice, put down the wine glass in his hand, and said loudly: "Don't Meng De know? There is a chaos in Hebei, and the Yan and Zhao armies are fighting in the Julu area.
…”
When Cao Cao saw that Xu You stopped mid-sentence, he smiled and said, "If Brother Ziyuan hadn't come, I wouldn't have known the news. Could it be that Brother Ziyuan came to my place to take refuge?"
Xu You said: "No. I came here this time, but for the benefit of Mengde. My lord and you are close friends, so he sent me here to send you gifts to express friendship."
"A congratulatory gift? What congratulatory gift?" Cao Cao asked curiously.
"My lord heard that Meng De has given birth to a daughter. On the one hand, he sent me here to congratulate him. On the other hand, he also wanted to form an alliance with you to deal with Yuan Shao together. Looking at the world now, the only person who can command more than 200,000 soldiers and horses is Yuan Shao.
That's it, Yuan Shaohu is in Jizhou and not only occupied Qingzhou, but also prepared to attack Youzhou. My lord took the lead and made the first advance.
I destroyed Gongsun Zan, who was Yuan Shao's wing, but Yuan Shao had many soldiers and generals, so he was really a troublesome figure. Therefore, I was specially sent to ask Meng De for help, hoping to ask Meng De to send troops to attack Yuan Shao, and Qingzhou was in the land south of the river.
All of them belong to the State of Wei. This is a big gift from my lord to you." Xu You talked eloquently.
After hearing this, Cao Cao remained calm. He just sat there quietly, touched his beard, and looked thoughtful.
Xu You ate and drank what he should eat and drink without any outward expression, while Wei Yan was sitting next to Xu You. He was not as calm as Xu You. After seeing Cao Cao, he had been very careful and cautious.
He had been observing, wanting to see what charm this humble-looking, short-built Cao Cao had, who could actually own Yanzhou and Xuzhou.
There were only a few people in the hall. Dian Wei and Xu Chu were standing behind Cao Cao. Xu You and Wei Yan were being entertained as guests. Cao Cao, as the host, had not spoken a word, and the hall was silent.
Not long after, I saw a thin middle-aged man coming in from outside the tent. The man's complexion was sallow, his hands were shaking unconsciously every time he took a step forward, and his eye sockets were sunken and gray.
He looked like a dying man. The robe he was wearing seemed light as he walked. He entered the hall directly without being informed by anyone. When he saw Cao Cao, he only paused slightly.
As soon as he bowed his head, he said in a very weak voice: "My lord, I just received an emergency report from Hebei. The Yan and Zhao armies started a battle in the Juluze area. Both sides suffered heavy casualties. Now the two armies have temporarily entered the confrontation.
During the confrontation stage, Marquis Yan was in Yingtao City and Marquis Zhao retreated to Ye City. Yuan Tan of Qingzhou wanted to lead his troops northward, but the Yan army Zang Ba's troops blocked Gaotang Port. Yuan Tan was unable to cross the river and stayed temporarily.
Qingzhou.”
After Cao Cao heard this, he glanced at Xu You and saw that Xu You was eating wine and meat unscrupulously. He believed Xu You's words and felt that his opportunity had come. He glanced sideways at Wei Yan beside Xu You.
See Wei Yan’s appearance
Not bad, even though he was wearing very ordinary clothes, he still had an aura about him. He praised in his heart: "This man is very powerful. He must be one of Gao Fei's generals. It seems that Gao Fei wants him to come."
To spy on my truth..."
"Well, I understand. Military advisor, please sit down. I just have something to ask you!" Cao Cao motioned for the man to sit down.
The man said "Promise" and sat on a seat on the right. He glanced at Xu You and Wei Yan sitting opposite, then lowered his eyes and began to close his eyes to meditate.
Xu You was very curious about this person. He stopped eating and drinking and looked at the person sitting in front of him who was called "strategist" by Cao Cao. He really wanted to know who this person was. Curious, Xu You wiped himself
With his hands full of oil stains, he cupped his hands towards Cao Cao and said, "Meng De, this gentleman is..."
"This is my military advisor, Yingchuan Opera Zhicai."
Xi Zhicai started to follow Cao Cao very early, earlier than Xun Yu, Cheng Yu, Liu Ye and others, but he was not eye-catching. He provided many suggestions to Cao Cao, but did not show much publicity. Mainly because of this
A person's physical condition is so poor that he is just like a medicine jar and drinks medicine all day long. Cao Cao also visited famous doctors, but unfortunately, they could not cure Xi Zhicai's chronic illness, which made Xi Zhicai what he is today.
After Xu You finished listening, he just said "Oh" softly and said nothing more. He turned his eyes and looked at Xi Zhicai, and thought secretly in his heart: "Xi Zhicai is already terminally ill, and he is probably dying."
There are only a few years left to live,
Although there are many talented people here, Cao A'ao has very few people who are good at military strategy. After entering the Wei Kingdom, what he saw along the way was a stable scene. Now A'hao has occupied Yanzhou and Xuzhou.
If Qingzhou is captured again, he will become the overlord of the Central Plains, and his future is limitless. Although Gao Fei is a heroic leader, it is a pity that there are too few opportunities to use my strategies. I, Xu Youdang, a highly resourceful military advisor, cannot just
This is a waste of money. I should find a place where I can use my strengths. Ah Man is an old friend of mine and we know each other. If I join him, I will not only become Ah Man's mastermind in one fell swoop, but I will also be able to see her every day...
"
After careful calculation in his mind, a strange smile appeared on Xu You's face, but this strange smile passed quickly and no one noticed it. He glanced sideways at Wei Yan beside him and saw Wei Yan following a
Like a follower, he thought again in his mind: "Wei Yan is always with me, even when he goes to the hut, he has to follow me. If I choose to join Cao Cao at this time,
, will inevitably lead to his murderous intention, and it will be useless if he dies. Moreover, Ah Man seems to have great trust in Xi Zhicai. If Xi Zhicai does not die for a day, I, Xu You, will not be able to become the mastermind. I must wait until the time is right.
Only then can I take refuge with Ah Man, and I have to find a way to transport the clan out of Jicheng, otherwise with Gao Fei's character, he will never let me go..."
Seeing that Xu You was silent and looking thoughtful, Cao Cao said, "Ziyuan, what are you thinking about? You are so entranced?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing. I was just wondering whether Meng De would send troops to attack Qingzhou." Xu You replied hurriedly.
Cao Cao laughed and said: "It would be easy for me to take Qingzhou, and I don't need any gifts from others. Gao Fei just wants me to contain Yuan Shao's troops in Qingzhou..."
"But don't forget, if my lord does not attack Jizhou, even if you lead all the troops to attack Qingzhou, you may not be able to capture Qingzhou. My lord needs you to contain Qingzhou, and why don't you want my lord to
What about containing Jizhou? Since it is a matter of mutual benefit, there is nothing to argue about. Whether to form an alliance or not depends only on your words." Wei Yan couldn't hold back and suddenly shouted loudly.
Behind Cao Cao, Dian Wei and Xu Chu both stared at Wei Yan at the same time. Their fierce gazes were enough to kill Wei Yan a hundred times. However, neither of them dared to move without Cao Cao's order. They just stood there.
Wei Yan was not afraid of tigers when he was born. He once fought with Lu Bu, and after he was lucky enough to survive, he became more courageous and would not be afraid of anyone he saw. When he saw Dian Wei, Xu Chu stared at him, and he also stared at him.
With Dian Wei and Xu Chu in tow, the hall immediately became a battlefield where rivals were fighting each other.
"Ahem, cough..." Xi Zhicai slowly opened his eyes, coughed a few times, cupped his hands towards Cao Cao and said, "My lord, since Marquis Yan is sincere, I hope your lord will not refuse."
After hearing what Xi Zhicai said, Cao Cao nodded and gave Xu You a straightforward reply: "After you go back, you can tell Gao Fei that I, Cao Cao, agreed to form an alliance with him. However, you must defeat Yuan Shao before
After that, two people can meet in person to conclude it."
Xu You nodded and said nothing.
Seeing that Cao Cao agreed, Wei Yan did not say anything, but continued to fight with Dian Wei and Xu Chu with his eyes.
After sitting for a while, Cao Cao and Xu You were basically reminiscing about old times, and the banquet gradually dispersed.
Looking at Xu You, after Wei Yan walked out of the hall, Xu Chu stood up and said loudly: "My lord, that Xu You's follower is too hateful, please allow me to kill him..."
"Unwise! When the two countries are at war, it is better not to kill the envoy." After Cao Cao finished saying this, he turned his head to the side, looked at Xi Zhicai, and asked: "Strategic Advisor, why did you agree so quickly?"
Xi Zhicai said: "If you continue to break up, you will suffer chaos. Gao Fei took the initiative to form an alliance with the lord this time, and our army cannot give up this opportunity. Although Yanzhou is stable, the problem of Xuzhou has not been solved, and the lord massacred Xuzhou
Hundreds of thousands of people, this kind of hatred cannot be eliminated within a few years. Moreover, Yuan Shu has also made unusual moves recently. The pioneer general Ji Ling has broken into Huainan, and he has the intention to dominate Huaisi.
, if we do not strengthen the governance of Xuzhou, it is very likely that it will be used by Yuan Shu. On the surface, we sit on the land of two states, but in fact, it is Xuzhou that makes the lord trapped in the quagmire and unable to extricate himself. Most of the troops are used to guard Xuzhou, and there is no excess.
We must use our troops to attack Qingzhou. Compared with Xuzhou, my lord’s reputation in Qingzhou is much higher than that in Xuzhou. In addition, my lord’s army is based on Qingzhou soldiers, so we must seize Qingzhou without delay.”
After listening to Xi Zhicai's analysis, Cao Cao said: "You are right. Only by occupying Qingzhou can our army continue to expand its strength. The food problem that has troubled me for a long time has been temporarily solved. Now it is time to fight back against Yuan Shao."
.”
"My lord is wise," Xi Zhicai praised.
Cao Cao turned to Xu Chu and said, "Send the order and ask the four generals Le Jin, Li Dian, Yu Jin, and Cao Hong to lead three thousand tiger and leopard cavalry and twenty thousand Qingzhou soldiers to attack Qingzhou with me."
"No!" Xu Chu walked away.
Xi Zhicai stood up, cupped his hands and said: "My lord, my subordinates will also go together for this battle. The battle of Qingzhou must be fought quickly, otherwise Yuan Shu in Yuzhou will get the news and attack Changyi."
Cao Cao asked with concern: "Commander, your body... can you still bear it?"
Xi Zhicai laughed and said: "It's just a handful of withered bones. Sooner or later, you will die. Don't worry, my lord. I just want to contribute more to my lord."
Cao Cao said: "Okay, let's go together. Dian Wei, go and give instructions to the post station and prepare five hundred gold for Xu You and ask him to go back and resume his life. I won't go and say goodbye to him."