When Chen Mu offered to help Cao Cao speak in front of the emperor, Cao Cao, who didn't want to offend either party and just wanted to quietly cultivate one-third of an acre of land, was overjoyed and was about to agree.
Unexpectedly, Guo Jia interrupted him at this time, and promised the matter on behalf of Cao Cao, expressing his willingness to send troops to help.
This made Cao Cao confused.
For Cao Cao, it is reasonable and reasonable that he hopes not to get involved in this matter.
In history, during the worst battle with Lu Bu, he almost defected to Yuan Shao. He was also wavering on the eve of the Battle of Guandu. Many times, he relied on his advisers to analyze and dissuade him before he made up his mind.
This shows that he himself is not a person who dares to take a risk, and needs his counselor to give him more confidence before he has the courage to do so.
The same is true now. Faced with a war between two giants, with his size and strength, he is naturally unwilling to get involved. Choosing to protect himself wisely and not helping each other is the most suitable way to survive.
After all, everyone must have heard of this joke. When the boss fights with the second child, the third, fourth and fifth child usually die.
There are also such examples in ancient China. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the State of Zhao and the State of Wei fought, and then the State of Zhongshan disappeared. The State of Qin and the State of Jin fought for hegemony, and then the States of Liang, Rui, Guo, Yu, and Zhai disappeared. The State of Chu and
The states of Qi fought with each other, and then the states of Lu, Song, Chen, Cai and other states caught in the middle suffered great misfortune.
When gods fight, mortals suffer, and this has been the case since ancient times. If you are not capable enough and participate in fights in areas that are too much beyond your own strength, the result is often that you are easily defeated by others, and ultimately end up with your body and country destroyed.
Cao Cao is not a fool. He knows very well that whether it is Qingzhou or Jizhou, they have the strength to destroy him at any time. The only difference is whether Yuan Shao and Liu Bei are willing to deal with him seriously.
His original strategy was to survive in the cracks and take advantage of the confrontation between the two to develop southward and plan a way out.
As a result, Lu Bu appeared halfway and not only took advantage of his Yanzhou while he was conquering Xuzhou, but even most of Xuzhou that he had already obtained fell into Lu Bu's hands. This made Cao Cao's hatred for Lu Bu reach an extreme.
To a high degree, the blood pressure will rise instantly.
It's just that Lu Bu didn't know what method he used to get the court to recognize his position as Xuzhou Mu. Coupled with many years of conquests, fighting in various places, and attacking each other with Tao Qian, Lu Bu, Yuan Shu and others, Cao Cao's soldiers and horses were exhausted and had to rest and recuperate.
That's all.
Now that Qingzhou is about to start a decisive battle with Jizhou, Yanzhou can at best get a chance to breathe. Instead of fishing in troubled waters, at least it can stay out and develop slowly to see if it can think of other ways to plot elsewhere.
But what Cao Cao didn't expect was that Guo Jia actually agreed to Chen Mu's proposal to invite him to join forces to attack Yuan. This made him puzzled as to why Guo Jia would do this.
But at the same time, Cao Cao also knew that Guo Jia was by no means a person who overstepped his authority. Since he chose to agree, he had his reasons. The only thing Cao Cao could do now was to keep his mouth shut and choose to unconditionally believe in his closest friend Guo Jia.
After a short silence, Chen Mu laughed loudly and said: "Brother Meng De is indeed a wise man, so let's agree on this matter. Please also ask Brother Meng De to organize the troops, horses and food first. Then, as my eldest brother
First of all, when the imperial court needs my brother's help to attack Yuan Shao, don't be stingy."
A trace of doubt flashed through Cao Cao's narrow eyes, and he looked at Guo Jia.
Guo Jia said with a smile: "Serving the imperial court is a matter of course. It is natural to send troops. It's just that Brother Gui, who is good at teaching his son, knows that Yanzhou has been fighting for many years. First it was Tao Qian, then Yuan Shu, and the year before last it was occupied by Lu Bu.
The wars are endless and the people of the prefectures, counties and counties are in dire straits. Coupled with the severe drought this year, food, grass, soldiers and armor may not be enough."
This is indeed true. This year's drought has affected Henan and other places. The situation in Yuzhou and Yanzhou is not very good. Liu Yu was kind-hearted and allocated 6 million dendrobium grains to reluctantly provide disaster relief. Six million dendrobium is not six million catties, but
There are 700 million kilograms of grain, one dendrobium is equal to one stone, and one stone is one hundred and twenty kilograms.
Based on the total population of the disaster-stricken areas such as Yuzhou and Yanzhou, which now totals about two to three million, using the most economical method of 4-6 kilograms of rations per person per day, it can only last for two months, barely surviving this period.
This disaster allowed the people to continue farming in the coming spring.
After all, the drought only caused a large-scale reduction in food production, and the people still had some food to survive.
However, these six million dendrobium grains have indeed solved the food crisis in the two states to a great extent, but if it is used for fighting, that is another matter.
Because not only Cao Cao, but Sun Jian also got more than half of it, it is estimated that what Cao Cao got was only two to three million dendrobium. Then he had to provide disaster relief and organize people to produce, which was consumed every day. For this reason, Xi Zhicai
Others spent a lot of energy doing this.
If they are all embezzled and the people do not survive the next year, then Cao Cao will not have to fight for hegemony. This is called fishing in the lake and killing the chickens to get the eggs. Only when the people continue to cultivate can he replenish new food and continue to fight.
What's more, these old grains were allocated by Liu Yu for the people. All states, counties and counties have collected the relief grains and are organizing people in various places to distribute and receive them. The envoys sent by the imperial court will supervise and calculate the daily consumption costs. Finally,
All feedback will be reported to the imperial court, and Liu Yu will handle it personally.
If Cao Cao directly recruited him, the imperial envoys would know about this matter, and it would be difficult to explain it to Liu Yu.
So this reason is very legitimate, and no one can find anything wrong with it.
After hearing Guo Jia's words, Chen Mu began to think deeply.
Fighting the autumn breeze?
It's quite expected.
No matter whether Cao Cao still has strategic reserves of grain, grass, weapons and equipment for the army, if he wants him to participate in the war, he will definitely say that he has nothing.
Now there is a severe drought. This is a very good reason. If you want to get Cao Cao into the trap, it seems that you can't do it without some blood.
Thinking of this, Chen Mu looked around, suddenly laughed, and said: "In this case, I will report it to the emperor, and the imperial court will allocate food funds and distribute them from Qingzhou to help Brother Meng De."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Cao Cao came back to his senses, nodded and said, "Thank you so much, Zigui."
Guo Jia glanced at Cao Cao, and then said: "I wonder how Duke Xuande plans to deal with Yuan Shao, and how he plans to let us cooperate in the attack?"
Chen Mu said with a smile: "The emperor has issued an order, and naturally my eldest brother has to obey it. Sili now mainly uses Hanoi County as the first line of defense, but the terrain in Hanoi is too flat and not suitable for the main attack, so we decided to attack from Qingzhou first, and then You
If Brother Zhou Bogui and Luoyang cooperate with each other, it will not be too late for Brother Meng De to send troops again."
Cao Cao and Guo Jia looked at each other and made silent calculations in their minds.
This sentence is said to be unsaid. Qingzhou's strategic layout, tactics, time, location, preparation direction of attack, and when to act are not mentioned. It is just a reminder that Qingzhou will take action first, without giving Cao Cao
A bit of useful information.
However, they also knew that with Chen Mu's ability, he was always good at Tai Chi and had a good command of official speech. It would be impossible to get something out of him.
So he simply stopped trying to make excuses. Cao Cao laughed and said: "In that case, I will just wait for the imperial edict at home. Zigui, you are passing by Yanzhou this time, and I have to show my kindness to the landlord. I won't do it today."
When discussing state affairs, we need to have a good time with a banquet! Come and have a banquet."
"It just so happened that I was reminiscing about old friendship with Brother Meng De for many years, so today I'll just get drunk and end it."
Chen Mu also said with a smile.
Platefuls of wine and banquets were put on the table. Cao Cao, Chen Mu, Guo Jia, Ju Yi, Lejin and others quickly got into the mood. Everyone changed glasses and chatted about romance. They no longer kept silent about the battle between Qingzhou and Jizhou.
Soon the atmosphere reached a climax, the guests and hosts were having a great time, and everyone was very drunk.
Time passed like this minute by minute, the sky gradually darkened, and the sun set.
After nightfall, Chen Mu stayed overnight in Zhencheng again, as did Cao Cao and Guo Jia. Everyone went to bed early because they drank too much. At midnight, Cao Cao woke up from the wine and shouted for water in a daze.
With a creak, the door opened. Le Jin lit the oil lamp, handed Cao Cao water and said, "Mr. Fengxiao has also woken up and is waiting for Mr. Ming in the front hall."
Today's guests are Cao Cao and Chen Mu. They drank the most and were naturally the most drunk.
Cao Cao got up from the bed and took the water from Le Jin. After drinking the water, he felt a little more comfortable and recovered. He took off the silk blanket from his body, put on his brocade nightgown, and sat on the edge of the bed for more than ten years.
For a few seconds, his mind went blank, like a void, and then he slowly resumed thinking.
He was thinking about the actions between Chen Mu and Guo Jia today. Why did Chen Mu agree to form an alliance to attack Yuan Shao? He originally wanted to refuse, but why did Feng Xiao agree? This question lingered for a long time, leaving him unable to
Its solution.
But the answer would soon be revealed. He got off the edge of the bed, put on his clogs, casually took a cloak from the hanger and put it on his body. He walked out of the backyard house, walked through the corridor, and came to the main hall of the backyard.
An oil lamp was lit in the hall, and Guo Jia was sitting on his knees on the ground alone, holding a book in his hand and reading it with relish - this book was made of paper.
Cao Cao walked over and called softly: "Fengxiao."
"Ming Gong."
Guo Jia raised his head, quickly put the book on the table, stood up and bowed his hands.
Cao Cao waved his hands repeatedly, walked to the main seat, sat down, breathed a long sigh of relief, and said to Guo Jia: "Fengxiao, sit down first, Wen Qian, and then get some water."
Le Jin went to get water.
Guo Jia sat down and said with a smile: "Ming Gong drank a lot of wine today, so you should pay more attention to your health."
Cao Cao said happily: "It's really interesting that this sentence came from Fengxiao's mouth."
"hehe."
Guo Jia smiled sheepishly. Indeed, even he himself didn't believe it when he said people should pay attention to their health.
Le Jin came in and poured water for the two of them, then went out to guard the door.
After Cao Cao took another sip of water, he wiped his mouth and then began to get down to business and said to Guo Jia: "Fengxiao, why are you today?"
"Why did you agree to alliance with Qingzhou?"
"yes."
Cao Cao sighed and said: "Liu Xuande is not easy to mess with, and Yuan Benchu is not easy to mess with either. The two of them have enough troops, horses, food and grass, and there will be a battle sooner or later. Compared with them, how can we, the crickets and the big trees, participate in it? I'm afraid Yuan Shao will send his army south.
You can easily destroy me."
Guo Jia put down the water that was originally brought to his mouth and said with a solemn expression: "Ming Gong, even if the nest is overturned, there will be no intact eggs. Our Yanzhou is sandwiched between Jizhou and Qingzhou, and it can be said that we stand on three legs. However, Jizhou and Qingzhou are strong, and Qingzhou is strong.
We are weak in Yanzhou, and the war between them will inevitably affect us. If we remain neutral, it will be extremely difficult, and we may even offend both sides, so it is better to get involved."
"Um......."
Cao Cao nodded slowly and muttered: "The words of filial piety are not unreasonable. However, I have been friends with Yuan Benchu since childhood, and later became brothers with Liu Xuande. If I remain neutral, neither of them will attack me.
It’s only right to break this face.”
Guo Jia shook his head: "Ming Gong only saw Yuan Benchu and Liu Xuande, but he forgot about that one."
That one?
Cao Cao was a little confused in his eyes. After a moment, he suddenly understood and said: "The Emperor?"
"good."
Guo Jia nodded and pointed to the west: "The emperor is very old. He has issued edicts many times, hoping that all the princes in the world can return to the court and restore the rule of the Han Dynasty. After unification, he will personally go to Hebei to select
After Emperor Jing, a new emperor was chosen, and he abdicated in favor of a worthy one, which shows that the one from Luoyang couldn't wait any longer."
Cao Cao nodded with deep understanding: "Mr. Bo'an is a good man, and he doesn't have much ambition for power. His only wish is to restore the Han Dynasty and then choose a clan member to succeed him. Now he is getting older and older.
The older I am, the more anxious I feel."
Guo Jia continued: "If at this time, Duke Ming prevaricates the court's call for an attack on Yuan Shao, the emperor may not take any action at this time, but in the future, I am afraid it will be detrimental to Duke Ming, not to mention the southeast...
"
Southeast?
Lu Bu.
Cao Cao's eyes were deep and authentic and he said: "It seems that Lu Bu should have submitted to the imperial court and was willing to submit to the imperial rule, so the emperor made him the pastor of Xuzhou. The imperial court is using Lu Bu to contain me. If I don't obey, maybe I will be with you in the future.
The hatred between Lu and Bu will become an excuse for the court to show favoritism."
"exactly."
Guo Jia said: "So despite Chen Zigui's good intentions, he said that he wanted to help Ming Gong explain to the emperor, but the emperor didn't think so. He only thought that Ming Gong was surrendering on the surface, but secretly he said one thing and did another.
If Jizhou can be pacified in the future, there will definitely be an edict asking Duke Ming to go to Luoyang to serve as the ninth minister. If Duke Ming doesn't obey, I'm afraid..."
"this......."
When Cao Cao heard Guo Jia's analysis, he suddenly broke into a cold sweat.
Yes.
He actually almost rashly took sides before the outcome was determined.
Some people may wonder, didn't Cao Cao intend to help the two?
Why is it said that he recklessly chose to take sides?
Because this kind of siding is not about siding with Liu Bei or Yuan Shao, but whether you are loyal to the Han team.
Don't think that if you go to the court and tell Liu Yu that I am a loyal minister, he will believe you.
Children like Liu Bian and Liu Xie might be able to fool him, but Liu Yu himself was also a veteran for many years. He had been operating in a complex place like Youzhou for many years and managed everything in an orderly manner. How could he be a simple person?
What's more, many old and cunning officials in the imperial court, such as Yang Puma, Rixi, Zhao Qi and others, are not good people. They will never win their trust just because of your last memorial.
Simply put, you have to take practical actions.
The battle between Jizhou and Qingzhou is not about who wins or loses, Liu Bei or Yuan Shao, but whether the imperial court can pacify Jizhou and re-unify the world.
Liu Yu will definitely devote all his energy to such an important event, and if you choose to be neutral and not help Liu Yu, it means that you are not a loyal member of the Han Dynasty at all, but have other agendas.
When Liu Yu takes control of Jizhou, it would be strange if he doesn't turn around and attack Cao Cao.
So when Cao Cao came to his senses, he was immediately frightened, because he discovered that it was no wonder why the imperial court would confer Lu Bu as the Mu of Xuzhou. It turned out to be a check and balance. I am afraid that when the war between Liu Bei and Yuan Shao comes to an end, Cao Cao will also be surrounded by
It’s time for all the princes to be wiped out.
"The imperial court is taking advantage of the central government's righteousness to check and balance the princes in various places."
Cao Cao sighed: "It seems that Luoyang has gathered the world's heroes, and there are countless capable people, such as Su Qin and Zhang Yi. To be able to come up with this trick, I'm afraid Sun Jian and Yuan Shu have already been part of their calculations."
.”
Guo Jia pondered: "The imperial court raised the banner of the Han Dynasty, and countless aristocratic families flocked to it. Naturally, there are experts behind the scenes to help the emperor. If we are not careful, we will be in catastrophe. We must be careful in everything."
Cao Cao thought for a moment, shook his head and said: "If you think this way, Liu Bei has already been in the emperor's calculations. He should be using Liu Bei. When Liu Bei and Yuan Shao fight, both sides will lose, and Luoyang will gain another advantage. I don't understand.
, with Chen Zigui’s wisdom, how could he not see it?”
Smart people often like to see who has vested interests in something and find out who is behind the scenes. In the decisive battle between Jizhou and Qingzhou, the vested interests can only be Luoyang, because as mentioned before, Liu Yu has real power.
, rather than a famous and powerless puppet emperor.
Once the war breaks out, even if Liu Bei defeats Yuan Shao in the end, his vitality will probably be severely damaged. When Liu Yu takes action, he will immediately send central officials to Jizhou and Qingzhou, and then transfer Liu Bei to Luoyang to do three things. I guess he will have no choice but to follow orders.
From this point of view, Liu Bei has a perfect image of a tool man. Chen Mu is recognized as a wise man in the world. Xu Shao once made a comment on the first day of the month and rated Chen Zi as the Jiang Taigong of Zhou. If he were unified, he could rule the country for eight hundred years.
How could such a character fail to see that the final outcome must be Liu Yu’s benefit?
However, Guo Jia's face became more solemn and he said softly: "Don't forget, Ming Gong, the emperor is already over sixty years old. The battle between Jizhou and Qingzhou will not end overnight. If it takes three to five years, or even ten to eight years,
In 2016, the Emperor Long Funeral, even if he chose the young Emperor, I am afraid he would not be able to convince Liu Bei. By that time..."
"I see."
Cao Cao suddenly realized that at first they thought Liu Bei controlled Liu Yu. When the time came in the future to defeat Yuan Shao and annex Jizhou, Liu Bei forced Liu Yu to step down and he successfully ascended the throne.
But over the years, through various signs, they also understood that Liu Yu held real power.
They couldn't figure it out before. Since Liu Yu had real power and was not Liu Bei's puppet, what would Liu Bei do if Yuan Shao was defeated in the future.
Now it seems that they were waiting for Liu Yu to die.
Although there are people who live into their seventies, eighties, or even hundreds of years. But it was normal at that time to die in their sixties. In an era when medical care was underdeveloped, anyone who lived to be over sixty was considered a long life. When you think about it, many things,
That makes sense.
After all, even if Qingzhou and Jizhou fight, the initiative in the war still lies in Liu Bei's hands. If he wants to delay it, it will not be a problem at all for three to five years until Liu Yu dies.