Gongsun Zan's return gave the Youzhou army a shot in the arm.
It turned out that although various tribes accepted his invitation and came to support him, they were fighting independently, making the battle very tense.
But with Gongsun Zan as the backbone, they could immediately gather together to form a united front.
In history, Gongsun Zan has always been unpopular. Most of the Wuhuan and Xianbei in the border areas detested him and sent troops to help Yuan Shao. This led to his eventual betrayal and self-immolation.
But now Chen Mu is helping him plan, starting from business, and opening a market on the border to exchange goods and supplies. Gongsun Zan collects trade taxes, he gets 70%, and Liu Bei gets 30%.
Since trade is mutually beneficial, it can bring tangible benefits to the nomads and increase their strength. Many people no longer need to starve to death or freeze to death in winter, and no longer need to live a life of lack of food and clothing.
As a result, Gongsun Zan was loved by many Hu people.
Now that he was in trouble, and he was willing to pay to hire soldiers and horses, the surrounding Hu people were naturally willing to send troops to help him and save him from danger.
certainly.
Some people may ask, how did Liu Bei collect only 30% of the commercial tax?
Seventy percent belongs to someone else. It's good to get three percent. After all, this is a business without capital. It only comes with ideas, not troops.
Gongsun Zan not only provided people, effort and money, but also sent troops to manage the mutual market and maintain order. Besides Liu Yu, only he could successfully open this mutual market.
Liu Yu relied on his prestige as the governor of Youzhou in his early years, and Gongsun Zan relied on the contacts he had accumulated through many years of doing business. If Liu Bei was replaced, everyone would not trust each other, and the border market might not be able to open.
So the 30% is the same as if you picked it up for free, don't take it for free. If you change it to someone with a darker heart, if you don't even give the 30% after using your idea to make money, you will have no place to reason.
It is precisely because of business and mutual trade that it helped the nomads in the north so much that they became dependent on Gongsun Zan and gradually trusted him.
Therefore, we can gather together, coordinate the troops and horses, and deal with the aggressive Xianbei and Wuhuan tribes in the central part together.
Otherwise, the conflict between Huaitou and Suli alone would be enough for others to drink from a pot.
Historically, Gongsun Zan and Cao Cao both started their careers by relying on the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans, and now Liu Bei has completely taken over the base. However, at least Chen Mu helped Gongsun Zan open up another path, at least not making him so weak that he was directly eliminated by Yuan Shao.
The situation on Cao Cao's side is much worse. The world is like this. There are only so many resources. If Liu Bei takes the majority, it will naturally squeeze their living space and make it difficult for them to grow.
Huainan and Huaibei are connected to Yanzhou. Cao Cao tried to completely annihilate Yuan Shao and bring the land of Huainan into his sphere of influence. Just when he was about to succeed, Liu Biao came out halfway and was also eyeing the land east of Huainan and Jiangdong. The two sides had vague intentions of breaking up.
.
Time has to go back more than half a month ago, in mid-December, when Yuan Shu was defeated for the second time in Runan and fled back to Shouchun in embarrassment. He lost all his troops. Although reinforcements were still on the way, he might not be able to
Hold on until reinforcements arrive.
When Cao Cao was about to break the city, Liu Biao's army from Jingzhou marched northward from the direction of Chaohu, Hefei. Led by Huang Zu, Liu Biao's first general, he led tens of thousands of elite troops and arrived in Shouchun at the same time.
Now there is only one piece of cake, but there are two people who want to share it. Naturally, the two sides have suddenly changed from original allies to potential opponents, which is really sad.
On the second day of Cao Cao's camp, Huang Zu came over in person. After all, the identities of the two parties were not equal. Huang Zu was just a Jiangxia prefect, while Cao Cao was a Yanzhou shepherd. They had the same status as Liu Biao, so it was impossible for Cao Cao to go to Huang Zu's camp.
Da Ying went to see him, not to mention that the two sides were now allies. Huang Zu was bold and had no fear that Cao Cao would be disadvantageous to him.
A banquet was held in the tent. Although there was no singing and dancing to entertain the guests, it was suitable for all guests. Huang Zu sat at the banquet and drank one cup with Cao Cao.
When Cao Cao invited him to come, he came very recklessly and unprepared.
After three rounds of wine and five flavors of food, Cao Cao began to talk about the topic and asked with a smile: "Is General Huang coming here to attack Yuan Shu?"
"Yes, I followed Duke Ming's order to attack Lujiang. I didn't expect that Yuan's army in Lujiang was vulnerable, so I went north along the river to take a look at the situation. I didn't know that Yuan Shu had been defeated and was actually besieged by Duke Cao in the city. This time
Our two families can just join forces to annihilate this beast."
Huang Zu was an expert in fighting, but his scheming was far behind. He explained the situation to Cao Cao one by one, and there was nothing to hide.
However, Cao Cao and Guo Jia looked at each other and smiled.
Although there seems to be nothing wrong with Huang Zu's words, they actually revealed two pieces of information. First, Liu Biao actually did not know the news of Yuan Shu's defeat in Runan. He also thought that Yuan Shu's defeat was less than ten days old, and Liu Biao
Where did you get the information so quickly?
Second, this attack was probably just a tentative attack by Liu Biao. As a result, he did not expect that Yuan Shu's defenders in Lujiang were so unbearable and were quickly defeated by him, so he just came to see the situation and did not get Liu Biao's latest information at all.
order, which meant that Liu Biao had no time to give Huang Zu the order to seize the territory.
Thinking of this, Guo Jia immediately stood up and said: "General Huang came at just the right time. Yuan Shu caused rebellion and was already at the top of the list of rebels listed by the court. If he can be defeated, it will be a great achievement. Jiang Xia
The Huang family will also be proud of General Huang, and this achievement cannot be missed."
Huang Zu's heart was surging and he asked, "Is this really true?"
Guo Jia struck while the railway was hot: "Of course, now Yuan Shu is trapped in the city, like a withered bone in a grave. When the general launches his troops, he will sit there and wait to die."
"only......"
Huang Zu hesitated for a moment and said: "I haven't received the order from my Ming Gong..."
"hehe."
Guo Jia smiled and said: "Jing Shenggong and Yuan Shu are old enemies. It is Jing Shenggong's wish to conquer Yuan Shu. General Huang must not hesitate and delay the opportunity. Moreover, Liu Zhengli, the governor of Yangzhou, is under the protection of Jing Shenggong.
, If you can help him recapture Yangzhou, I will definitely be grateful and recommend him to the imperial court. General Huang will be in the eyes of the emperor and summoned to his side. He will serve in the imperial court like Duke Ziyan, which can be said to be a glorious achievement."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! The Huang family of Jiangxia was also a famous family in the late Han Dynasty. The ancestor was Huang Xiang, the protagonist of "Fan Zhenwen Quilt", one of the twenty-four filial piety. The Huang family began to develop from Huang Xiang
Zhi Sanye has a great-grandson, Huang Wan, who was a Taiwei in the late Han Dynasty, and Huang Gai, who is also a descendant of Huang Xiang. Huang Zu is also a descendant of Huang Xiang. Because he was born in the Huang family of Jiangxia, he was appointed as the Grand Administrator of Jiangxia by Liu Zheng
.
As children of aristocratic families, what they consider is often not the interests of the lord they are loyal to, but the interests of their own family. Although the world is in chaos, the majesty of the imperial court has been restored by Liu Yu, Yang Biao and others. Although Huang Zu
Under Liu Biao's command, he would never refuse if called by the imperial court.
As I said before, the conquest system of the Han Dynasty was like this. The imperial court could conscript, the three princes could conscript, and the state pastors could also conscript. But the order of conquest was from top to bottom, and the emperor had the highest authority for conquest.
For aristocratic families, the attraction is naturally the greatest.
For example, in history, Cao Cao used Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty to recruit many families to work for him. From this point, we can see that if Huang Zu made great achievements and Liu Yuzheng appointed him to the central government, he would definitely abandon Liu Biao and go.
.
And Liu Biao would never stop him, and would even be happy for him to go to the central government to serve as an official, because once Huang Zu became prosperous, as Huang Zu's old master, he would also be able to enjoy the dividends brought by Huang Zu's prosperity. The Yuan family
This is basically how so many disciples and former officials came to be.
This is the common situation in this era.
Hearing Guo Jia's words, Huang Zu felt relaxed and happy for a moment. Since Huang Wan's death, the family has been in decline. It was not until he became the governor of Jiangxia that he slowly recovered. If he could get the favor of the emperor...
Thinking of this, Huang Zu originally raised the wine glass to his lips and couldn't help asking: "Is Mr. Cao really willing to grant me this great merit?"
Cao Cao narrowed his eyes and said with a smile: "Our soldiers and horses are a little tired and are not suitable for the main attack anymore. General Huang's soldiers and horses are strong, so he is suitable for attacking. If I can capture Yuan Shu alive in this battle and send him to Luoyang, I will report to the emperor and remember you."
Gong. When the time comes, coupled with the memorials from Duke Jing Sheng and Duke Zhengli, and the emperor summoning you to the central government for an edict, I'm afraid it won't be long."
"good!"
Huang Zu was so excited that he immediately said, "Thank you so much, Mr. Cao, for Chengcheng. I will go all out in this battle."
Now everyone was having a banquet again, and the guests were enjoying themselves.
After Huang Zu left, many of the generals accompanying him in the tent also left, leaving only Cao Cao and Guo Jia.
Both of them drank a lot of wine and were slightly drunk. But they looked at each other and smiled, saying nothing.
Huang Zu didn't get Liu Biao's order, which meant that he didn't know whether he should take advantage of Jiangdong's ideas, and it also meant that he didn't have any intention.
Since there is no intention, Cao Cao will help him find an intention.
Attack Yuan Shu and help Liu Yao recover!
Liu Yao was the governor of Yangzhou appointed by the imperial court, but he was driven to Yuzhang by Yuan Shu. Now the governor of Yuzhang is neither Zhu Hao nor Zhuge Xuan.
Because Zhu Jun was angry to death in history, no one is popular now and he lived for two more years. Therefore, Zhu Hao has been holding an official position in the court. He is currently the prefect of Hongnong and has not participated in Yuzhang.
Needless to say, Zhuge Xuan was left in Qingzhou by Chen Mu long ago and did not go to Yuzhang either.
This resulted in no conflict between Liu Yao and Liu Biao. Liu Biao was even afraid that Yuan Shu would continue to persecute Liu Yao, so he sent people to help him gain a foothold in Yuzhang and let him recruit soldiers and horses to prepare for a counterattack against Yuan Shu.
If Liu Biao was ambitious and knew that Yuan Shu was about to be destroyed, he might not be so kind.
But the problem is that if he doesn't know now, then there is room for manipulation.
Cao Cao was not interested in Jiangdong because Jiangdong was different from Huainan and Huaibei, and the Yangtze River natural chasm was an unavoidable obstacle.
Yanzhou is the northeastern part of Henan in later generations, the southern part of Xuzhou today is the southern part of Shandong and northern Jiangsu in later generations, and the Huaibei area is now northern Anhui.
The approximate location is the Jining City, Zaozhuang City, Xuzhou City, Huaibei City, Suzhou City, Huai'an City, Yancheng City, Yangzhou City, Bengbu City and Huainan City in later generations, at the intersection of the four provinces.
These lands are connected together, and the land of Huainan and Huaibei is a fertile area with good soil quality and rich products.
Cao Cao will bring these places under his command, and his strength will be greatly improved.
Originally, he thought that if Liu Biao wanted Jiangdong, he would have no choice but to give it to him. After all, Liu Biao had already sent troops, and he did not have the strength to defeat Huang Zu. Moreover, if he attacked Liu Biao rashly, he would still be defeated.
The court blamed.
But Liu Biao was too far away and the news had not yet reached Jingzhou, so it was easy to handle. Cao Cao and Guo Jia decided to use Huang Zu to attack Yuan Shu and at the same time find a way to get Liu Yao back.
Borrow chickens to lay eggs, borrow flowers to offer to Buddha.
Compared with the powerful Liu Biao, Liu Yao is weak. If he wins Jiangdong, the threat will be greatly reduced.
At that time, even if Liu Biao was unwilling, he could only sulk.
Use Liu Biao's troops to help Cao Cao conquer Huainan and Huaibei, and help Liu Yao regain his position as governor of Yangzhou. Moreover, Liu Yao, a neighbor, does not pose any threat to Cao Cao. It can be said that he kills three birds with one stone and has Liu Biao's plan to death.
This is also normal.
Although Cao Cao suffered defeat from Chen Mu many times, he was a strong man of the era after all. He could not plot against Chen Mu, but it was easy to plot against Liu Biao.
Even Huang Zu himself had to help count the money after being sold, and expressed his gratitude to Cao Cao for his kindness, which is exactly the same as Uncle Benshan's "Selling Kidnappers". This is the difference in the way smart people deal with problems. Simply put, a crisis can be solved.
It became an opportunity.
At that moment, Huang Zu was encouraged by Cao Cao Guo Jia. He originally defeated Yuan's army in Lujiang. He took advantage of the situation to see the situation and directly became Cao Cao's vanguard. He returned to the ship and began to organize his troops and prepare to attack.
Two days later, Huang Zu led his army to the outside of Shouchun City and began to set up camp and prepare to attack the city.
Cao Cao was watching from the hillside in the distance, looking at Huang Zujun with a smile.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! This feeling of doing nothing by yourself, having tool workers to help you, and all the benefits come from yourself, is really a word - refreshing!
However, at this moment, several cavalrymen suddenly came running towards him from afar, running towards him quickly.
Cao Cao's escort stopped them and quickly brought them over. The person who came was a general of Xiahou Dun. Under the leadership of Cao Hong, he came to Cao Cao and said anxiously: "Ming Gong, something serious has happened."
"What's the matter?"
Cao Cao frowned when he heard the bad news.
The man said: "General Xiahou stopped Lu Bu, and Lu Bu led the army to Guangling."
"What?"
For a moment, Cao Cao felt an unbearable headache and his head was dizzy. He already had a headache, and he immediately got into an attack when he heard the news.
The thing I was most afraid of happened.
He planned to seize the three counties of Huainan, Huaibei and Guanglingxiapipeiguo, which are the most important areas, because these three places belong to Huaibei and are the connection points with Huainan. If these three places are taken, then even if he takes it
After entering Jiujiang, the territory was also cut off in the middle, and Jiujiang became an enclave.
This is the most unbearable thing for Cao Cao. What's more, Guangling is also the planting base of Champa Rice. How can he expand his army next year and how powerful it is? He still has to rely on Champa Rice. How can he let it
Taken away by Lu Bu.
"Ming Gong, how are you? Go back to the camp and take a rest."
Guo Jia, who was standing by, saw that he had a headache and quickly came up to ask about the situation and wanted to help him back to the camp.
However, Cao Cao endured the pain and said: "I don't mind, Fengxiao, what should I do?"
Guo Jia pondered for a moment and asked the visitor: "Where is Liu Beijun?"
The man replied: "Liu Shijun sent Zhang Fei Dianwei to attack Lu Bu, but they were blocked by the Huai River. They are still collecting ships and preparing to cross the river to attack."
Upon hearing the news, Guo Jia immediately said to Cao Cao: "Ming Gong, we should immediately withdraw our troops and return to Xuzhou. If we gain Huainan, it will only be a new land. But Huaibei is our foundation and we must not lose it."
"hateful."
A hint of fierceness flashed in Cao Cao's eyes: "Huainan is about to get it...that damn Lu Bu, he has killed an entire city again."
Guo Jia thought for a moment and said, "Don't worry, my lord. Huainan is not unattainable. It's just that compared to Huainan, Lu Bu's matter is more urgent."
"oh?"
After hearing Guo Jia's words, Cao Cao felt that his headache was getting better, and he hurriedly asked: "What do you mean by being a filial piety?"
"Yuan Shu..."
Guo Jia smiled calmly and looked towards Shouchun City in the distance.