12dz Chapter 47: A steady stream of grain arrives! Dong Zhuo arrives in Chang'an.
Chapter 47: A steady stream of grain arrives! Dong Zhuo arrives in Chang'an.
Guo Tu truly deserves to be called the number one rhythm master under Yuan Shao.
His ability to set the pace is among the best in the world.
It's no wonder that later generations have made jokes about Guo Tu, calling him "Yuan Ying's joke teller".
What is a comedian?
This implies that if it weren't for Guo Tu, Yuan Shao would have had a hard time losing the Battle of Guandu.
Almost all of the options Guo Tu provided were incorrect.
Then, Yuan Shao's plans were indeed swayed by Guo Tu, leading to the burning of Wuchao!
nowadays.
With just a few words, Guo Tu greatly reduced Yuan Shao's worries about Cao Cao.
Following Guo Tu's line of thought, Yuan Shao changed his mind.
If you find yourself to be someone else, there's really no need to worry too much!
To put it bluntly, no matter how much Cao Cao's reputation grows, it can never compare to Yuan Shao's.
As a member of the Yuan family, the most prominent family in the land, Yuan Shao's call to arms was met with countless responses.
What right does Cao Cao have to be Yuan Shao's rival?
Instead of worrying about Cao Cao becoming too powerful and threatening Yuan Shao, it would be better to focus on Han Fu and Gongsun Zan.
If Yuan Shao wants to unify the four provinces of Hebei, these two are people he must eliminate!
Thinking of this, Yuan Shao stroked his beard and said:
“What Gongze (Guo Tu’s courtesy name was Gongze) said is very true.”
"Cao Cao is not a threat. On the contrary, I need him to hold off Yuan Shu for me now."
"How about this, send someone to present Cao Cao with three thousand strings of cash as a token of my sincerity."
Upon hearing this, Xu You immediately prepared to retort.
Unexpectedly, Guo Tu had anticipated this and preemptively cupped his hands in greeting, saying:
"My lord is very generous."
"Three thousand strings of cash is quite a lot. I'm sure Cao Cao will be very grateful."
Is three thousand strings of cash really a lot?
Three thousand strings of cash at the end of the Han Dynasty were roughly equivalent to three million coins.
Three million coins, if used as military expenses, is not a lot, but it is not a small amount either.
Raising an extra one or two thousand soldiers shouldn't be a problem.
This sum of money was really nothing to Yuan Shao, who was wealthy and powerful.
But for Cao Cao and Su Yu, they naturally accepted all comers.
Yuan Shao was eager to be a "sucker," so how could Cao Cao and Su Yu refuse?
……
a few days later
Cao Cao passed through the ruins of Luoyang and led his entourage through Hulao Pass, Sishui Pass, Suanzao and other places.
These three places used to be incredibly lively.
But times have changed, with Dong Zhuo moving the capital to Chang'an and the disbandment of the Guandong Coalition.
These three places have been completely abandoned and have become no-man's-land.
Upon arriving near Suanzao, Cao Cao and Su Yu received the envoy sent by Pan Feng.
Pan Feng expressed his strong welcome to the idea of exchanging military equipment and armor for food supplies!
As for the exchange rate, it is also much higher than the market price.
Since Ji Province has plenty of grain, Pan Feng could exchange some with Cao Cao without affecting the fighting strength of the Ji Province army.
Simultaneously.
Pan Feng also intended to maintain a good relationship with Cao Cao and Su Yu.
Both sides have already established a foundation for cooperation and will continue to cooperate in the future.
only.
The grain supplies will take several days to arrive in Yanzhou.
To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, Su Yu suggested purchasing some grain and fodder from wealthy merchants near Yuzhou as a backup.
Just then, Yuan Shao's envoy arrived, bringing with him three thousand strings of cash as a gift from Yuan Shao.
This money was used to buy more grain for Cao Cao.
Seeing several carts of grain and fodder delivered to the army, Xu Rong's widowed face finally showed a long-lost smile.
Although, persuaded by Su Yu, he was very optimistic about Cao Cao.
However, if Cao Cao breaks his promise and fails to provide the necessary supplies, Xu Rong's loyalty will certainly drop significantly.
It's only natural to fight a war if you're well-fed, let alone risk your life for it.
With the food supply problem solved, Cao Cao was in high spirits.
Next, we will continue our journey back to Dongjun County in Yanzhou, and we expect to arrive in about half a month.
……
And at the same time
Changan
After moving the capital here, Dong Zhuo became even more arrogant than before.
Originally, Dong Zhuo brought a sword into the palace.
But apart from him, only a few trusted confidants of the Xiliang faction were allowed to meet Liu Xie with weapons on their backs.
But now it's better.
Not only Dong Zhuo and several of Xiliang's trusted generals.
Even ordinary soldiers of the Xiliang Army have started to wear weapons when entering the palace!
Upon witnessing this scene, the officials dared not speak out against their anger.
Liu Xie was so frightened that he curled up on the dragon throne as if he had practiced the art of shrinking his bones.
"Your Majesty, look at my Western Liang army, isn't it magnificent?"
Dong Zhuo's fat old face was covered with wrinkles.
How could Liu Xie dare to oppose Dong Zhuo?
At only nine years old, he had no choice but to repeatedly echo Dong Zhuo's words.
The reason why Dong Zhuo was so arrogant.
Firstly, after the capital was moved to Chang'an, the warlords of Guandong would no longer be able to attack him, nor could they attack him.
Secondly, it was because Liu Xie's grandmother, Empress Dowager Dong, had also passed away a few days ago.
To know.
When Dong Zhuo deposed and installed the young Emperor Liu Bian, and supported Liu Xie, the Prince of Chenliu, to ascend the throne, he did so under the banner of Empress Dowager Dong.
At the same time, in order to become a relative of the empress dowager, Dong Zhuo added the identity of Empress Dowager Dong's nephew to his resume.
Empress Dowager Dong is dead, which means that Dong Zhuo's last obstacle has also disappeared.
Even after Dong Zhuo changed the dynasty, no one in Chang'an dared to stand up against him.
but.
Dong Zhuo did not have any further ambitions or thoughts of changing the dynasty in the short term.
Although the warlords of Guandong have already retreated.
However, Ma Teng, Han Sui, and others from Xiliang did not retreat.
These two even contacted Liu Yan of Yizhou, urging him to join them in raising an army.
Since Li Bing and his son built the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, Yizhou has been known as the Land of Abundance.
Although its level of prosperity still cannot compare with that of Ji and Yu provinces.
However, Yizhou, which had not suffered from war, was undoubtedly a paradise in the midst of chaos.
While others were still struggling to cope with various wars, Yizhou had already closed its doors to develop agriculture and the economy.
As a member of the Han imperial family and the governor of Yizhou, Liu Yan's strength should not be underestimated.
Even if we don't talk about a lot, raising an army of 100,000 would be no problem for Liu Yan at all.
after all.
More than twenty years later, Liu Yan's son, Liu Zhang, was able to raise an army of 100,000.
There's no reason why Yizhou, which hasn't experienced even the slightest war, couldn't support an army of 100,000.
With such strength, Liu Yan is currently the strongest member of the Han imperial family in the world, without exception.
By comparison.
Liu Biao, who started his career in Jingzhou relatively late, still had to rely on the power of powerful families and share control of Jingzhou with them.
Compared to Liu Yan, he was naturally much inferior.
As for Liu Dai of Yanzhou, Liu Yu of Youzhou, Liu Yao of Yangzhou, and others, there's no need to say more.
Dong Zhuo was still quite wary of this old rival.
Therefore, for the foreseeable future, Dong Zhuo will definitely have to focus on dealing with Ma Teng, Han Sui, Liu Yan, and others.
Dong Zhuo didn't even bother to pursue the matter of Xu Rong's betrayal.
However, this matter did have some impact.
Xu Rong's betrayal undoubtedly made Dong Zhuo trust the Xiliang faction even more.
There was a strong sense that "those who are not of our kind must have different hearts."
For people like Lü Bu from the Bingzhou faction, life wasn't going to be easy.
……