"It's okay to keep the troops in Yanzhou, but the post of governor of Dongjun must be taken by General Chunyu Zhongjian."
Jushou, who had been silent all this time, suddenly suggested.
This is indeed a good way to protect Jizhou.
Dongjun is connected to Weijun where Yecheng is located, and is the only county connected to Yanzhou and Jizhou. With this layer of protection, there is no need to worry about a sudden attack by Cao Cao's troops.
Chunyu Qiong is also a person whom Yuan Shao trusts very much, so it is more appropriate for him to serve as the prefect of Dongjun.
"The posts of governor of the three counties of Henan, Runan and Yingchuan cannot be held by Cao Cao's people." Tian Feng continued.
After hearing what Ju Shou and Tian Feng said, Yuan Shao nodded with satisfaction, thinking that this was a very appropriate handling.
However, Xun You disagreed: "The post of governor of Dongjun can be filled by General Chunyu, and the post of governor of Runan does not need to be filled. However, the two counties of Henan and Yingchuan must be filled by Cao Gong."
Dongjun and Weijun are connected, so there is no need to fight. Runan is Yuan Shao's hometown, so there is no need to fight. However, Henan and Yingchuan have to fight for it.
"no!"
Tian Feng immediately rejected it.
"If Duke Cao gives up the land in Dongjun, can't he get the land outside the state?" Xun You asked.
Yuan Shao felt that he had occupied Dongjun and should give up a county to Cao Cao. Just as he was thinking about it, he heard Feng Ji say: "Since the general wants to make Chen Xiang Luo Xiaoyuan the governor of Yuzhou, he might as well use Chen Xiang's position as the governor of Dongjun.
.”
"Well, not bad," Yuan Shao nodded fiercely, looking very satisfied, "Change one county to another, Gongda, I have asked Mengde to keep his troops and horses, and gave up the position of Prime Minister Chen. You can't fight anymore. If you fight again, you can
It’s hard to talk about it.”
Although Cao Cao has not yet been completely defeated and has tens of thousands of troops defending the city, he is still qualified to raise conditions, but if the conditions are raised too high, it will be difficult to continue the negotiation.
That is to say, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao were friends, but the relationship between the two has not been completely broken, and they have not really taken action, so Yuan Shao did not kill Cao Cao.
Otherwise, apart from just surviving, Cao Cao would not be able to raise any other conditions at all.
Xun You was thinking in his mind.
Although one Dongjun was given up, the troops and horses were still there, so even if Cao Cao did not lose Yanzhou. Chen State was connected to Chenliu County, which was considered a continuation of Yanzhou's territory. Although it was not as good as Henan and Runan, it was similar to Yingchuan and was acceptable.
Such conditions are considered good based on Cao Cao's current situation, at least he has retained his strength.
Xun You thought for a long time before nodding: "Okay."
Yuan Shao and everyone else breathed a sigh of relief when they heard this, and were quite satisfied with the outcome of the discussion.
There was only one person who was extremely dissatisfied and had a gloomy face at the moment. This person was Zhou Ping.
When he came to Yecheng this time, he originally wanted to get the position of governor of Yuzhou. Unexpectedly, he was strongly opposed by Yuan Shao's counselors at first. He had no relationship with Cao Cao at all, and now he can no longer mention it.
It is even more difficult to get Cao Cao to stop his troops. As Xun You said, keeping Cao Cao's troops is also beneficial to Yuan Shao. Now that Chunyu Qiong has been proposed to serve as the governor of Dongjun to protect Jizhou, it is even more impossible for them to insist on Cao Cao's withdrawal.
After thinking for a while, Zhou Ping finally thought of something. When everyone was laughing, he suddenly stood up and said, "One more thing."
Everyone was stunned when they heard this, and all looked at Zhou Ping.
Zhou Ping continued to say: "Cao Cao does not have to stop all his troops, but he must reduce them to 20,000. Since Dongjun is guarded by General Chunyu, it is enough to protect Jizhou and the emperor. Yanzhou no longer needs so many troops.
For him to leave behind 20,000 people is too much."
Zhou Ping's purpose is to get Cao Cao to withdraw his troops. Since they can't disperse all of them, they can disperse some of them to make Cao Cao temporarily weak and unable to threaten Xuzhou in a short period of time.
Didn't he have 40,000 troops? Just half that, no more, no less.
Tian Feng and the counselors under Yuan Shao supported this condition proposed by Zhou Ping.
"Wen An's suggestion is very appropriate. If Cao Cao can't use up all his troops, he should reduce them by half. In this way, he can neither threaten Jizhou nor fend off enemies from other states. Hahaha... Very good, very good!" Tian Feng laughed first and said.
.
Xun You's face suddenly turned dark.
The conditions just mentioned have already exceeded Cao Cao's bottom line. It is simply impossible for Cao Cao to reduce his troops.
"General Yuan..." Xun You looked at Yuan Shao, wanting him to say something for Cao Cao.
"General, Cao Mengde reduced half of the troops and horses, leaving only 20,000 people, which is just right. It can defend the state without hurting people. What Zhou Wen'an said is very wonderful!" Xu You also spoke.
Yuan Shao thought for a while and felt that this condition was just right for him, so he said: "Gongda, what General Zhou Zhonglang proposed is indeed more appropriate."
Xun You's face darkened, he stood up angrily and cupped his hands at Yuan Shao and said, "Since this is the case, it's no longer possible to talk about it, so you'll take your leave."
Zhou Ping said loudly: "Gongda can go back and tell Cao Cao that the soldiers and horses from the three states will camp five miles below the city. In less than ten days, I predict that there will be people in the city opening the city gates to greet them. By then, Cao Cao will not be reduced."
Soldiers, but it may be that the dead clan is wiped out."
Xun You took a few steps, then stopped after listening to Zhou Ping's words.
He knew that what Zhou Ping said would most likely come true.
Tens of thousands of soldiers and horses surrounded the city on three sides. Even if Cao Cao was in the city, if the siege lasted for a long time, someone would definitely want to betray and open the city gate to welcome him.
Because they knew that if they besieged the city for a long time, Cao Cao would eventually be destroyed. Opening the city early to welcome him would also be a meritorious service, especially since Cao Cao killed so many people around the emperor and many people wanted him dead.
"This matter... You can't make the decision. You must send someone back to ask Duke Cao and then give you an answer." After Xun You finished speaking, he went straight out.
Watching Xun You go out, Zhou Ping said to Yuan Shao: "General, we cannot discuss Cao Cao's reduction of troops. He must be allowed to reduce half of his troops. If he still retains an army of 40,000 to 50,000, even if he does not dare to capture Jizhou for the time being, he must
He will attack Xuzhou again. If Xuzhou is captured by him, the next thing he will capture will be Jizhou."
"I agree with Wen An on this matter. Cao Cao must reduce his troops."
Tian Feng had previously strongly opposed Zhou Ping's proposal to let Guan Yu serve as governor of Yuzhou, but now he strongly supported Zhou Ping's proposal to let Cao Cao reduce his troops.
It can be seen that he has no personal grudges or selfish thoughts in his heart, and everything he does is entirely for the benefit of Yuan Shao.
"In addition, if Guan Yu cannot serve as the governor of Yuzhou, can Xiao Jian, the prime minister of Pengcheng, be appointed as the prime minister of Pei?" Zhou Ping suggested again.
Yuan Shao nodded slightly: "I will consider this matter."
…………
Xun You sent people to rush back to Xudu and reported to Cao Cao in detail what happened in Yecheng.
"Damn it! Damn it!" Cao Cao shouted angrily, "Zhou Ping was so determined to kill Gu. He failed to let Gu cut off all his troops, and failed to let Guan Yu serve as the governor of Yuzhou. However, this man still refused to give up and actually asked Gu to reduce his troops.
Horses, and Tian Feng, they are like raccoons, they are extremely abominable!"
Xun Yu, Guo Jia, Xia Houdun and others rarely saw Cao Cao so angry. It seemed that the reduction of troops and horses had touched his bottom line.
What Cao Cao wanted to retain most was Yanzhou and his troops. Even if he gave up Dongjun to Yuan Shao and let Chunyu Qiong serve as the governor, it would at least make Yuan Shao temporarily reassure him and not stare at him. It would also be easier to recruit and expand the army.
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The governor of Runan did not want to fight at first, and Yuan Shao would not agree at all. Although it was a pity to lose Henan Yin, there was nothing he could do about it. Yuan Shao still had many wise men under his command to remind him.
Prefect Yingchuan is better than Prime Minister Chen, but the difference is not big and it is acceptable.
Therefore, if there is no provision for reducing the number of troops to 20,000, Cao Cao can agree to their request and immediately move the emperor to Yecheng.
But now that Zhou Pinglai has come out, it is clear that he does not want the peace talks to succeed and wants to put himself in danger.
"I can agree to any conditions they put forward, except for the reduction of troops," Cao Cao said again.
Guo Jia asked softly: "If Ming Gong does not agree, what will happen if the soldiers and horses outside the city approach the city?"
"General, let me lead the troops out to fight Liu Bei. Liu Bei is responsible for all these things. Kill him and all problems will be solved." Cao Ren stood up and said.
During this expedition to Xuzhou, he had never fought against Liu Bei, so he didn't know how powerful Liu Bei's generals and troops were.
Cao Cao glared at Cao Ren, then looked at Guo Jia, and said with a smile: "Haha, Fengxiao, how can I not know what the result will be, but I am asked to reduce the number of troops to 20,000, how can I accept such conditions?
!”
"If Yanzhou is here, then there are soldiers and horses. Why can't Duke Ming accept it?" Guo Jia asked with a smile.
"There must be countermeasures for filial piety, tell me quickly." Cao Cao said with joy on his face.
"The Ming Dynasty negotiated this peace, and I'm afraid I won't be able to mobilize troops for one or two years. I just took this opportunity to stop the troops and farm the fields, save grain, and replenish the warehouses. As for the soldiers and horses, just like Xuzhou, they cultivated military camps and recruited soldiers to farm the fields.
Isn’t it true that there are soldiers? Moreover, Mount Tai is a land of elite soldiers, and there is a large county called Chenliu with a large population. If Duke Ming wanted to recruit 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers and horses, wouldn’t it be an easy task?”
Cao Cao laughed: "Hahaha... what Fengxiao said is exactly what I want. Yes, I can accept their conditions, but I have another request. Wen Ruo, you must still hold the post of minister, they can't
Transfer you away."
Xun Yu was silently meditating, but when Cao Cao mentioned him, he raised his hands and replied: "I will listen to the wishes of the Ming Gong."
In fact, after Xun You calmed down, he also thought about the strategy Guo Jia said and felt that Cao Cao should accept such conditions.
Sure enough, a few days later, Xu Du reported that Cao Cao agreed to reduce the number of troops to 20,000, but Xun Yu must continue to serve as Shangshu Ling.
This request was a good thing for the Xun family, and the request itself was not excessive. Xun You expected that Yuan Shao would agree.
Seeing Yuan Shao again, Xun You first told Cao Cao that he agreed to reduce his troops, and then Cao Cao proposed that Xun Yu must continue to serve as Shangshu Ling.
Yuan Shao hesitated for a moment, but none of the counselors in the government objected, and even Zhou Ping remained silent, so he had no choice but to agree to Cao Cao's request.
Zhou Ping did not expect that Cao Cao would agree to reduce troops and horses so readily. After thinking about it carefully, he felt that his thinking was too simple. Troops and horses can be reduced, but of course they can also be recruited.
But this is good, at least Cao Cao will not have so many troops for the time being, Xuzhou can be stable for the time being, and the most important thing at the moment is to capture Yangzhou as soon as possible. Now that Liu Yao is dead, if Yangzhou is captured, Liu Bei can justifiably surrender
One of my own has been appointed as Yangzhou Shepherd.
After the matter was settled, Zhou Ping and Xun You both rushed back to Xu Du.
Yuan Shao ordered his people to hurry up and build palaces and mansions to receive the emperor and officials.