Chapter 615 Cao Cao’s Decision

Qingzhou, Linzi City Assembly Hall.

"If a strong man offends me, he will be punished no matter how far away he is. It really makes people fascinated. I wish I could fight with Yu Qing to kill the thief!"

Cao Cao held a letter in his hand and looked quite excited.

"It's a shame that the Wuhuan people went south to herd horses, but this is a good opportunity for my lord!" Cheng Yu said suddenly.

"oh?"

"The Wuhuan people marched south in large numbers, joining forces with Yuan Benchu ​​in numbers of no less than 100,000. Even if Liu Yuqing commanded Ruoding, and no matter how brave and skilled the Liangzhou army was, the outcome would still be between 50 and 50." Cheng Yu smiled and said, "I The army can take the opportunity to march north, wave flags and shout for Yuan Shao, and then stand still. After the decisive battle between the two armies, wouldn't the land of Hebei be like searching for something?"

Xi Zhicai also nodded and said the same: "Yes, now is the time for our army to gain the advantage of the fishermen. The Lord must not miss it! It is the best policy to wait for the right moment and seize the opportunity."

"So, you all think that I should take the opportunity to go north to echo Yuan Benchu?" Cao Cao asked with a smile.

"That's right." Cheng Yu added: "Firstly, our army has an alliance with Yuan Benchu, and we can go north to fulfill the alliance. Secondly, when the two armies are fighting, isn't it a great opportunity for our army to expand our territory?"

Cao Cao shook his head and said with a smile: "No, our army will not be able to go north to Hebei, but will support Liu Yuqing in his crusade against the Wuhuan people."

"Why are you supporting Liu Yuqing in his crusade against the Wuhuan people?" Cheng Yu was shocked and puzzled: "My lord, the Han Dynasty has declined, and all the heroes have risen up to compete in the world. Liu Yuqing has taken control of Guanzhong, and his military power has shaken Shandong. There is a faint feeling of the Warring States Period and the Qin Dynasty looking down. The power of the world is not yet strong for Liu Yuqing, but our army, together with the princes of the world, can still control it while it is weak. If we do not send troops now, when Liu Ye defeats Wuhuan, his reputation will shake the world. What should my lord do then?"

"Hahaha!"

Cao Cao burst out laughing after hearing Cheng Yu's words, which made Cheng Yu look confused.

Don’t what I, Cheng Zhongde, say make sense? Why did the lord laugh so loudly, as if he didn't think so.

Cheng Yu was confused and puzzled, while Xi Zhicai and Xun Yu had some enlightenment and seemed to understand something.

When Cao Cao finished laughing, Cheng Yu said with a solemn face: "I dare to ask my lord, but Yu's poor planning made my lord laugh?"

"No, no, no, no, Zhongde must not misunderstand." Cao Cao explained with a smile: "Zhongde is a famous person, and his plans are naturally thorough, but what he has in mind is somewhat different from Zhongde."

"I dare you to please let me know."

Cao Cao adjusted his clothes and said slowly: "The Wuhuan people went south to Youzhou, harassing the people and plundering property. Liu Yuqing recognized them for his great righteousness, and the people all came to join him. Then Liu Yuqing has won peace! Mencius said that the right time is not as good as the right place. The geographical advantage is not as good as the people, and Liu Yuqing's mighty army is difficult to shake. If the people of the world are loyal to him, how can our army compete with him?"

"Therefore! Our army must support Liu Yuqing in his crusade against the Wuhuan people, and even allocate part of the grain and grass to provide material support!" Cao Cao said solemnly: "In this way, our army can also win the hearts and minds of the people, and whoever wins the hearts of the people will win the world. Is Liu Yuqing alone?"

"I see." Cheng Yu understood and murmured: "But in this case, what if Liu Yuqing defeats the Wuhuan people and turns around to attack our army with the power of victory?"

"Haha, there is no need to worry about this." Xi Zhicai suddenly smiled and said: "The outcome of the battle in Yecheng is not yet known. Even if Yuan Shao is defeated, he can still retreat to Youzhou. With Liu Ye's ability, he must first conquer Hebei If we go to the Central Plains again, our army will not be Liu Ye's first target. Moreover, my lord has already crossed the sea from Qingzhou to contact Liaodong Gongsundu. Gongsundu will definitely not be willing to accept Liu Yuqing's full control of Hebei, and his hands will be tied up."

Gongsun Du was actually quite ambitious. In addition to eradicating all the nobles in Liaodong, he also sent troops from Anping Port and crossed the sea to Qingzhou to seize several counties and set up the so-called "yingzhou". On the one hand, Cao Cao was worried about his relationship with Gongsun Du, and on the other hand, he was afraid of Gongsun Du's navy, so he did not send troops to recover it. Therefore, Qingzhou was not actually completely in Cao Cao's hands.

"What's more," Cao Cao clenched his fists and said confidently: "A certain person has already arranged for Miancai to lead 20,000 elite troops to garrison the plains. Once the battle of Yecheng is over, Miancai will be ordered to seize the counties of Jizhou. Liu Ye's exhausted army can What can I do?"

Only then did Cheng Yu realize it, and he said happily: "It turns out that my lord has already made arrangements in his heart, but Yu was worried in vain."

Cao Cao smiled and said: "Mr. Zhongde is also thinking about the hegemony of our army. He has merits and demerits. Later, someone will send fifty pieces of brocade to Zhongde's house as a reward."

Cheng Yu hurriedly bent down to thank him, while Cao Cao waved his hand to stand up, which was a good match between king and minister.

"In this case, our army needs to secretly deploy troops and generals to prevent Liu Yuqing from finding out." Xun Yu said.

"Well, I will leave the matter of grain and grass allocation to Wen Ruo, and secretly mobilize 20,000 shi of military rations and send them to the plains to be handed over to Miancai." Cao Cao ordered: "Send another 5,000 shi of grain and grass to Liu Yuqing, and draft an article in the name of We call on Liu Yuqing to support Liu Yuqing’s "Yuan Zhu" and implement it as soon as possible."

In fact, Cao Cao also had a similar national complex in his heart, which can be seen from his expedition to Wuhuan. In the original history, after Cao Cao pacified Hebei, brothers Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi fled to Liucheng and attached themselves to the Wuhuan people. Cao Cao immediately led his troops out of Bailang Mountain, with Zhang Liao as the vanguard, defeated Wuhuan, and captured Tadun.

After that, Cao Cao's most brave son, Huang Xuer, Cao Zhang, once again led the Northern Expedition. He led the army to defeat Wuhuan first and surrendered the Xianbei master Ke Bineng, which was deeply appreciated by Cao Cao.

After many civil servants walked out of the meeting hall, Cao Cao sighed deeply, stood up and looked at the sky, admiringly saying: "Yu Qing, chasing death in the north, a man should learn from Wei Huo, but it is a pity that Cao cannot come to the front line in person."

At the end of July, Cao Cao issued the "Ying Yuan Zhu Shu", expressing his support for Liu Ye's crusade against the Wuhuan people in impassioned words: "The Wuhuan barbarians invaded our country, and the generals opened their eyes and denounced them angrily, wearing armor and fighting to protect the people. How can he be like Duke Huan? Although Cao Cao is not talented, I am willing to serve as Guan Zhong, respect the king, fight against barbarians, and protect the world."

At the same time, Cao Cao even deployed grain and grass to Liu Ye's military camp with great fanfare, expressing his strong support for Liu Ye. Cao Cao deliberately publicized the matter. In addition to Sichuan, Shu and Jingzhou, which were far away from each other, all other places in Hebei, Central Plains, Huainan, Jiangdong, and Guanzhong learned about the matter.

The Young Emperor of the Han Dynasty was very happy to praise Cao Cao as a loyal minister, and ordered gold, silver, silk and silk to be rewarded from the treasury. For a while, Cao Cao became a great loyal minister of the Han Dynasty.