Tao Qian suddenly attacked Cao Cao for no reason and occupied Jibei Kingdom. There was obviously something wrong with this.
Naturally, Chen Mu couldn't just listen to Cao Cao's words. After all, the relationship involved was extremely complicated and it had deviated from his original goal.
I still think of the problem too simply.
I thought that Liu Beijun helped Tao Qian secure Xuzhou, so he could be grateful and show friendship, but he ignored the idea that adults only look at pros and cons, while children only distinguish right from wrong.
In fact, it's not surprising that Chen Mu didn't think about this problem, because he couldn't think of a reason why Tao Qian must attack Cao Cao even if he tried hard.
Although they have not signed an alliance and are not friendly with each other, everyone in the world knows that Cao Cao fought side by side with Liu Bei in Guanzhong. Even if he does not look at the monk's face, he must look at the Buddha's face. Isn't Tao Qian afraid of Big Brother's wrath?
Wait a moment.
Could it be that trick of befriending distant friends and attacking close friends again?
Chen Mu woke up with a start.
Historically, Yuan Shu - Tao Qian - Liu Bei - Gongsun Zan became allies, while Yuan Shao - Cao Cao - Liu Biao became allies.
The early war in the Central Plains was actually a war between Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu. Everyone was making friends at a distance and attacking at home.
The remaining tricks played in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period were not outdated in the Three Kingdoms and were still used.
It's just that Chen Mu had thought about this problem from the beginning, and he had spent a lot of effort to win over Cao Cao in the past two years. But he never expected that Tao Qian would be the first to cause trouble.
Tao Qian's geographical location is actually very poor, with Jizhou to the north, Qingzhou to the east, Yanzhou to the west, Yuzhou to the southwest, and Yangzhou to the south. It can be said to be the place of the Four Wars.
If Chen Mu were put in this position, he would first find a way to ally with Liu Bei, the most powerful one, and then slowly annex Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Yangzhou and other places, slowly develop, and then fight Liu Bei to the death after his own strength grows.
This was actually Cao Cao's development route in Yanzhou in history. He first allied with the most powerful Yuan Shao to attack Yuan Shu, then invaded Xuzhou and Yuzhou. He defeated Yuan Shao in the Battle of Guandu, unified the north, and then went south to conquer Jiangnan.
But Cao Cao succeeded at that time because Yuan Shao needed Cao Cao as a barrier against Yuan Shu and Tao Qian, and he himself needed to deal with Gongsun Zan before he could think about other things.
And now Tao Qian is next to Liu Bei. Just like Yuan Shao could easily eliminate Cao Cao in the early history, Liu Bei can also easily defeat Tao Qian now.
Therefore, from this point of view, it is obviously an irrational act for Tao Qian to suddenly turn against Cao Cao, Liu Bei's current ally.
Because he was surrounded by Cao Cao, Sun Jian and Liu Bei, he would face the danger of a three-pronged attack at any time.
So what prompted him to do this?
Chen Mu frowned.
Benefit?
feelings?
Hatred?
Or other reasons?
I couldn't figure this out for the moment, so I had to go to the person involved and ask for clarification.
Therefore, after a while, Chen Mu looked at Cao Cao and said calmly: "Brother Mengde, don't panic. I'm going to Qingzhou. I will explain to my elder brother that Qingzhou will not just sit idly by and ignore this matter. We will send troops to support him if necessary.
"
Cao Cao said with a smile on his face: "Then thank you Zigui. In fact, I have already discussed this matter with Xuande. He has sent someone to negotiate with Tao Qian and promised to give me an explanation."
Chen Mu nodded: "This is the best."
Cao Cao poured himself a glass of wine with a smile, and asked: "What do you think the general trend of the world should be like today?"
Chen Mu glanced at Cao Cao with a hint of suspicion, thought for a moment, then turned around and asked: "I remember when we were in Luoyang, Brother Meng De talked about his lifelong wish, which was that after welcoming the emperor back, he could conquer the bandits from all directions on his behalf.
, when the world is stable, then go all the way west to attack the foreign tribes invading the south, just like General Wei and Huo Qiqi, who sealed the wolf in Xu?"
"yes."
Cao Cao raised his wine and drank it down in one gulp, and said with some emotion: "It's a pity that the emperor was killed at the hands of thieves. I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to realize my wish in this life."
Chen Mu said with a smile: "Brother Meng De can't let down his will. Although the emperor died, God's will will not stop Yan Han. Zong Zheng is a descendant of the ancestor of Guangwu. After Prince Gong of Donghai, he has succeeded to the throne in Luoyang.
Continuing the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty. Moreover, Zong Zheng said that when the country was pacified, he would select his sons from the clan, abdicate the throne and make way for the virtuous. How could Brother Meng De feel sad because the emperor died?"
Cao Cao laughed sarcastically and said, "I made a mistake. But now there are thieves and bandits from all directions, and there are countless people with different intentions in the world like crucian carp crossing the river. From the perspective of Zigui, who should we attack first? Who should we attack first?"
Who do you want to be friends with?”
Chen Mu said without hesitation: "Wang Fen of Jizhou established a false emperor while the late emperor was still alive. This move is tantamount to treason, so naturally he attacked Jizhou first."
"Um."
Cao Cao put down his wine glass and said thoughtfully: "What happens after Jizhou is pacified?"
"Of course we will attack anyone who disobeys the imperial court."
Chen Mu said calmly.
What does it mean to obey the imperial court’s orders?
This means that when Jizhou is pacified, you, Jingzhou pastor, Xuzhou pastoralist, Yangzhou pastoralist, Yuzhou pastoralist, Yanzhou pastoralist, all will be recalled to the central court to serve as the nine ministers.
Logically speaking, this is a promotion.
In peacetime, Huangfu Song served as a herdsman in Jizhou and Huang Wan served as a herdsman in Yuzhou.
The two men held the military and political power of a state, and their status was comparable to that of princes.
With an edict, you have to go back honestly.
But this trick naturally became a little different in the war-torn times.
Those who have different intentions may not listen.
Therefore, with an edict, all the cows, ghosts, and snake gods cast their shadows.
Anyone who refuses to leave the position of state pastor is a disobedient person, and will naturally attack him!
Cao Cao narrowed his eyes and nodded calmly: "That's it."
Chen Mu took a mouthful of vegetables, chewed it gently, and also narrowed his eyes at Cao Cao. After a moment, he said: "Brother Meng De is stationed in Yanzhou to serve as a barrier to Luoyang, but you have to do your best and never slack off."
"well."
Cao Cao smiled bitterly and said: "I just put down the rebellion in various places in Yanzhou and the Black Mountain bandits invading south last year. Now the people in the counties are living in dire straits. Life is extremely difficult. We have to guard against Wang Fen in the north, and Tao Qian is watching in the east. It's miserable.
.”
"It doesn't matter." Chen Mu pointed to the east, then to Luoyang, and said with a smile: "My eldest brother is in Qingzhou with an armor of 300,000, and my second brother is in Sili with an armor of 200,000. With strong soldiers and horses, that's Mengde.
Brother Meng De is his greatest support. As long as Brother Meng De is loyal to the court and the emperor, after Jizhou is restored to peace, the court will not treat him badly."
The translated meaning of this sentence is, Lao Cao, you'd better put away your petty thoughts. Qingzhou and Sili are now on your left and right. If you are dishonest, I will take care of you after I deal with Wang Fen.
.
"hehe."
Cao Cao just smiled and said nothing.
After three rounds of wine and five flavors of food, the banquet was quickly over.
It was still early today, so Chen Mu set off to say goodbye.
Cao Cao saw him off from the main hall and said with a smile: "Since my good brother has left the world and returned home as fast as an arrow, I will see him off at a short distance. When Yuncheng is in Dong'a, I will also host a banquet to reminisce about old friendship."
"Brother, please come back. Farewell, foolish brother. We will talk about it someday."
Chen Mu bowed his hands and saluted, turned around, and under the protection of Hu Ping, Hu Yong, Zhang Long, Zhao Hu and other guards, he went out, got on his horse, and left the city.
Seeing him leaving, Cao Cao turned around and returned to the palace.
But behind the screen leading to the backyard on the right side of the hall, a young man slowly walked out.
I saw that this man was seven feet six inches tall, with a slender body, slender limbs, fair skin, and a morbidly delicate face.
He was wearing a light blue robe, which was as fluttering as an immortal, and his whole figure was as graceful and graceful as if he had descended from an immortal to earth.
"Fengxiao, what do you think?"
Cao Cao turned his head and looked at this man.
He is actually the Guo Jia whom Chen Mu recruited after he wanted to return to Qingzhou!
Guo Jia is very handsome. Compared with Chen Mu, the most handsome man in the late Han Dynasty, he is only a little bit worse.
He stood behind the screen, put his hands in his sleeves, smiled slightly and said, "Chen Zigui really deserves his reputation."
"How can I see it?"
Cao Cao waved his hand and signaled to the maids serving in the hall as well as Xiahou Yi, Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren to go down first, leaving only Guo Jiacheng, Cheng Yu, Chen Gongxian and four others.
The five people sat down one after another. Guo Jia bent down slightly and said with a smile: "Ming Gong just asked a few questions, have you ever seen him reveal anything? His words are so flawless that I want to get them out of his mouth.
Some words may be as difficult as reaching heaven."
"good."
Cheng Yu's old voice was slightly hoarse, and he said softly: "The Duke asked him who he should take after Jizhou was pacified? The wise man's approach should be to say that Li Jue, Guo Si and others in Guanzhong avenged the late emperor. But he said no one would accept it.
, I will kill anyone. This sentence actually means a warning."
Cao Cao sighed: "I heard it. He warned me twice in a row. But Yanzhou has just been pacified, how can it compare with Qingji? I am weak and weak at the moment, so I have no choice but to rely on Liu Xuande.
Dare to make a difference.”
Xi Xian thought: "Liu Xuande's plan is very big. He supports Duke Bo'an as the emperor, but he is afraid that Duke Bo'an has no descendants. If Liu Xuande is allowed to take Jizhou, after a hundred years of Duke Bo'an, I'm afraid...
..."
"This is also my concern."
Cao Cao frowned deeply. People in the world might be deceived by Chen Mu's lies, but he could not deceive those who were truly resourceful.
Liu Yu had no descendants, and his age was also a big problem.
After being Prince Gong of the East China Sea, Liu Yu's grandfather Liu Jia was Guang Luxun in the first year of Emperor Shun Yonghe's reign. Liu Yu was already born at that time, seven years older than Cheng Yu who was born in the sixth year of Yonghe, and was already fifty-nine years old.
At such an old age, if you keep struggling for a few more years, you will almost reach your twilight years and be on your deathbed.
And once Liu Bei used Liu Yu's prestige to pacify Jizhou in the name of the central court and took over the two base areas of Jizhou and Qingzhou, then with Gongsun Zan as a die-hard ally, the north would basically be invincible.
I'm afraid that by then there will be no need to go to any clan to find someone to succeed him. The whole court will almost be "accepted by the public", and Liu Bei will take over the throne from Liu Yu in a dignified manner.
By that time, Cao Cao basically became Liu Bei's wage earner, which was absolutely unbearable for Cao Cao.
"Are we going to go against Liu Bei?"
Chen Gong was not quick-witted and could only resort to tricks. He said with some hindsight: "But Bo'an Gong has great prestige, and most people in the world probably recognize the imperial court at this time. And Liu Bei is also relied upon by the Holy Dynasty. If we and
If he goes against him, he can only unite with Wang Fen, lest he be accused by the world of colluding with the usurper."
Cao Cao's brows furrowed even deeper.
Historically, Cao Cao stood on the side of justice, because he served the emperor's orders and refused to submit.
Although he was named Han Chen, he was actually a traitor to the Han Dynasty. He killed the queen, poisoned the prince, arrogated the title of king, and killed many old officials of the Han Dynasty in order to pave the way for Cao Pi.
But at least in the early stage, relying on Liu Xie's reputation, he still won a lot of hearts.
First, Xun Yu, who was loyal to the Han Dynasty, attracted tons of talents, and then during the southern expedition to Jingzhou, he captured northern Jingzhou without any bloodshed. Even Sun Quan's subordinates had countless people persuade Sun Quan to surrender to Cao Cao.
It can be seen that at that time, everyone still recognized that he represented the emperor of the Han Dynasty and came to attack all disobedient people.
But now not only Liu Bian is gone, but also Liu Xie is gone. Cao Cao wants to blackmail the emperor and make the princes have no emperor to coerce him. Instead, Liu Bei supports Liu Yu, and there is a hint of disobedience to the emperor, which makes him feel sad.
Very uneasy.
The five of them were silent for a long time, and then Cao Cao said: "Zhicai, Fengxiao, Zhongde, Gongtai, do you think I should consider the alliance proposed by Jizhou?"
"No!"
Xi Xian and Guo Jia spoke almost at the same time.
Hearing each other's unison, the two looked at each other and smiled.
The reason why Xi Zhi recommended Guo Jia to Yanzhou was because the two had similar intelligence and strategies, and they became friends.
On the contrary, Cheng Yu was mature and did not speak, while Chen Gong was slow to make plans, missing a beat.
When Cao Cao saw the two of them objecting, he asked, "Why?"
Guo Jia shook his head and said: "I have been to Jizhou and stayed with Wang Fen for a while. Although Wang Fen has the talent to govern the place, he has no military ability. We must not join forces with him for a long time and seek death."
"But if Liu Bei captures Jizhou and his strength greatly increases, I am afraid that no one in Henan will be able to compete with him."
Cao Cao expressed his worries.
Guo Jia smiled and said: "Although Wang Fen does not cultivate military affairs, Jizhou's foundation is there, and it will not be easy for Liu Bei to capture it in a short while. This is the time when Ming Gong is developing, so we should superficially unite with Liu Bei."
, and secretly combine with another person. If you have both sides, you can find a way out."
"who?"
"Yuan Shao!"
"Yuan Benchu?"
Hearing Guo Jia's words, Cao Cao wondered: "He is just a prefect of a county now, with few soldiers and generals. How can he compete in the world?"
Guo Jia said: "I once met Yuan Shao at Wang Fen's place. This man is handsome and majestic, and he loves his people and has a good reputation. He has been a Taisi official for many years, and he will not be willing to stay under others for a long time. I predict that within this year, Jizhou will
There will be great changes and the person who dominates Jizhou must be Yuan Benchu."
The God of War against the Wind is no joke. He dared to lead his troops into the palace to kill the eunuchs. Even when he went to Jizhou and was suppressed by Wang Fen and could not lift his head, he still looked majestic and heroic, always thinking of seizing Jizhou as his foundation.
So when did Yuan Shao become what Cao Cao said was "big ambition but little wisdom, tough but timid, restrained but little power." and what Guo Jia said was "many tricks and few ideas, good at making plans but no decisions."
?
Of course it was when he seized such a large piece of Jizhou's foundation.
Against the wind, one beats five, and against the wind, the waves surpass ghosts. Looking at the first half of Yuan Shao's life, it is like watching the protagonist of an online novel. In the second half of his life, he is completely like the villain in the online novel who is beaten by the protagonist. This difference between before and after
, it’s really incredible.
But at least Yuan Shao is still in the first half of his life and has not been so promiscuous. Therefore, Guo Jia has a pretty good opinion of him and thinks he is a person who can occupy Jizhou.
You know, Jizhou is much richer than Qingzhou now.
Qingzhou was not a well-established city during the Han Dynasty. It needed talents but no talents, and it needed a small population. That is to say, Chen Mu's governance in the past seven or eight years introduced rice, recruited talents, opened up fields, and attracted refugees, and it became rich.
stand up.
Jizhou has been one of the birthplaces of the Chinese nation since ancient times. It was also governed by Wang Fen for seven or eight years, making the state strong and the people prosperous. The population alone is nearly two million more than Qingzhou, and the foundation is very solid.
Therefore, Guo Jia believed that it was impossible for Liu Bei to defeat Wang Fen in a short period of time, so he took advantage of his entanglement with Wang Fen to exploit both sides and develop secretly.
After Yuan Shao captures Jizhou, he will inevitably continue to fight with Liu Bei. When two tigers fight, one of them will be injured. But Cao Cao sits on the mountain and watches the tiger fight. In the end, no matter who wins, he will give a fatal blow. This is a snipe and a clam fighting against each other.
It’s also a profit-making plan.
After hearing Guo Jia's words, Cao Cao stroked his beard, squinted his eyes, turned to look at the three actors, Cheng Yu, Chen Gong and said, "What do you think?"
"Can!"
Cheng Yu only replied with one word.
Chen Gong said: "Let me go back and think about the pros and cons, and I will reply tomorrow."
Xi Xian said: "No matter whether Jizhou will be captured by Yuan Shao, at least for now, we can't antagonize Liu Bei. And we are lucky. If it weren't for Tao Qian, Liu Bei asked us to attack Jizhou together, and we really wouldn't be able to find anything.
Excuse, now that Tao Qian attacked us first and then occupied Jibei, we have enough reasons not to send troops."
"Um."
Cao Cao nodded with deep understanding and said: "Okay, let's make this decision. First, we will unite with Liu Bei and plan for it slowly."