12dz Chapter 328: Wolf in front and tiger in back
Chapter 328: Wolf in front and tiger in back
Chapter 328: Wolf in front and tiger behind
In the evening, Liu Bei and Sun Ce appeared in Cao Cao's tent.
Cao Cao smiled and said to Liu Bei and Sun Ce, "Lord Xuande, Bofu, please take a seat. You must be exhausted after traveling all the way."
Liu Bei and Sun Ce were both military men, so hurrying on the journey was nothing. They were polite on the surface, but in their hearts they were suspicious of Cao Cao's purpose in inviting them to a banquet.
Cao Cao made a polite remark, and without beating around the bush, he spoke directly to Liu Bei: "Lord Xuande, can the rear general decide on the vanguard?"
Liu Bei shook his head sincerely and said, "I asked for the order several times, but the general refused with words. I talked to the military advisor under the general's command, and it seems that the general's nephew, Lieutenant Gao Gan, has been decided."
The name 'Gao Gan' is only known to those who know it specifically, and it has no reputation.
Cao Cao could not hide his anger and said, "Dong Zhuo's subordinates are all famous generals from Xiliang. If you send an unknown person, won't you be worried about failure?"
Sun Ce sat aside, silent, just holding his sword tightly.
Liu Bei looked helpless and said, "The rear general is from Runan. He has recently met with many famous scholars from Runan, Yingchuan and other places. He seems to be interested in consolidating Runan and then advancing."
Cao Cao's narrow eyes flashed with coldness, and he said in a deep voice: "No! It's already September, and if we delay any longer, winter will come. Lord Xuande, Bofu, I want to discuss with the rear general and divide the imperial guards. The three of us will have a total of 60,000 troops, enter from Liang State, advance from the east and go south. What do you think?"
Liu Bei was startled and asked, "Divide the troops?"
Sun Ce was also a little surprised and asked, "General Cao, will this allow Dong Zhuo to defeat us one by one? Shouldn't we lead the army forward and fight a decisive battle with Dong Zhuo?"
Cao Cao took a deep breath and said calmly, "To be honest with you two, I have received news that the rear general intends to use us to consume Dong's army so that he can reap the benefits. Cao Cao is willing to sacrifice his life, but suppressing the bandits is a major national event. How can we treat it as a joke?"
Liu Bei looked embarrassed and hesitated to speak.
Joining forces to march together was an agreement reached by all the princes not long ago. If Cao Cao suddenly decided to divide the troops, it would certainly deal a heavy blow to the morale of the campaign against Dong Zhuo, and at the same time split the coalition forces, causing dissatisfaction from Yuan Shao. If things went wrong, this grand battle against Dong Zhuo might die before it even began.
Sun Ce also thought of this, but he agreed without hesitation, saying, "I am young and don't know much about battle formations. General Cao is the general appointed by the court to show his power. I will obey your orders without hesitation!"
Cao Cao stared at Sun Ce for a moment, then turned to Liu Bei, his eyes burning as he said, "Lord Xuande, we have three days to go. If the rear general doesn't send troops after three days, we can split up our forces and go out, how about that?"
Liu Bei did not expect Cao Cao to be so direct and even aggressive. He frowned and said thoughtfully, "General Cao, this will split the coalition forces, which may not be conducive to the fight against Dong."
Liu Bei could roughly guess Cao Cao's intention. If they discussed it now and decided in three days, these words would definitely reach Yuan Shao's ears, forcing Yuan Shao to send troops!
But Liu Bei could not agree. In his opinion, in this powerful coalition army, there were only two people who could fight: Yuan Shao and Cao Cao. The rest, even him or Sun Ce, could only be supporting forces and could not be considered the main force.
Once these two people parted ways, it was clear that the "Battle against Dong Zhuo" would either fail aborted or end in failure.
"Mr. Xuande!"
Cao Cao raised his head and said loudly: "What if the rear general has no intention of defeating Dong? What if he just wants to consume us and plan to rebel in the future?"
This sentence made Liu Bei and Sun Ce's faces change drastically.
Everyone knew that Yuan Shao was ambitious and not a loyal minister or general, but Cao Cao was the first one to say it so bluntly.
Sun Ce naturally said nothing, his eyes shifting between Liu Bei and Cao Cao.
Liu Bei was secretly shocked, but said calmly, "General Cao, please be careful with what you say. I believe that the general is still loyal to the court. Moreover, he and Dong Zhuo have a feud that wants to exterminate their clan, so he will never compromise. Please give me a few days, and the general will definitely send troops to fight against the enemy."
Cao Cao narrowed his eyes and said, "General Liu, if we fail to defeat Dong Zhuo this time, do you know how the court will react?"
Liu Bei looked embarrassed and hesitated for a long time without saying anything.
If the campaign against Dong Zhuo fails, it is obvious that Cao Cao, Liu Bei and others will be severely punished by the court. Even Cao Cao, who enjoys great favors from the emperor, will not be able to escape!
This time, it is far different from the past.
If the campaign against Dong Zhuo fails, he will become more powerful and threaten Sili, Yanzhou and Qingzhou, which will make the imperial court feel like a thorn in the back and a fishbone stuck in the throat, making them feel uneasy.
The court's only choice was to raise an army again and fight against Dong Zhuo.
This is a situation that the imperial court absolutely does not want to see.
The consequences are serious, so the punishment will be more severe than ever before!
Seeing that he didn't say anything, Cao Cao said in a tone that could not be refused: "Three days, three days later, if Yuan Shao does not send troops, or has other plans, the three of us will join forces, enter from Liang State, and join forces with Huang Zhong, the Lieutenant General of Yanzhou, with an army of 100,000 to the south to destroy Dong!"
Sun Ce had a blank expression on his face and didn't care. He just stared at Liu Bei with a little curiosity.
This man, who claimed to be a descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan and a member of the royal family, had no reason to collude with Yuan Shao and become alienated from the court.
But if he agreed to Cao Cao, the anti-Dong coalition would split instantly, which would cause unpredictable changes!
Liu Bei was also struggling in his heart, analyzing the various interests involved.
He suffered repeated defeats in Xuzhou and accepted Cao Cao's letter to come to Runan. If he still cannot achieve success in Runan, the court will doubt his ability and he may be drowned and never make a comeback!
Like Cao Cao, Liu Bei had great ambitions and lofty aspirations. How could he be willing to become a mortal and live a life of mediocrity?
After much deliberation, Liu Bei sighed helplessly: If there were wise men to help me, why would I be so worried?
He still couldn't make up his mind. There were advantages to joining forces with Cao Cao and staying away from Yuan Shao. Most importantly, it would give him an explanation to the imperial court. Although he would offend Cao Cao if he didn't agree to Cao Cao, he could follow Yuan Shao and have a better chance of defeating Dong Zhuo and making great achievements.
"General Cao,"
Liu Bei looked serious and sincere. He raised his hand and said, "How about I act as a peacemaker and mediate?"
Cao Cao saw that Liu Bei still nodded uncertainly after he said this. He was disappointed but his face remained calm. He suddenly laughed and said, "Haha, Lord Xuande, don't worry. It's just a one-time thing. It won't be that serious. Please don't disclose our conversation today."
Liu Bei was stunned. Was Cao Cao's reaction a little too quick?
Or is there some other plot?
Liu Bei was still worried that Cao Cao would divide his troops alone, and wanted to persuade him, but Sun Ce had already stood up and said, "I will take my leave."
Liu Bei had no choice but to stand up and say, "Goodbye."
Cao Cao saw them out without any false courtesy. He sat there, gently picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea.
At this moment, Guo Jia came in from outside and said with a smile: "It seems that this Envoy Liu has other ideas."
Cao Cao laughed, stood up, waved his arms, and said, "Fengxiao, tell me, can Yuan Benchu still sit still?"
Guo Jia shook his head and said, "It's hard to say, but if the news gets out, Dong Zhuo will probably be unable to sit still."
"Hahaha,"
Cao Cao laughed, stepped down from his high seat, and said, "So Yuan Benchu should be unable to sit still."
Cao Cao came outside the tent, looked at Yuan Shao's camp with cold eyes, and said, "I want to be the vanguard!"
Guo Jia stood behind him, coughed lightly, and quickly clenched his fist to block it, and then said: "It's not difficult, but you need to be careful."
Cao Cao's face was tense, his heart was filled with anger and his thoughts were in a state of confusion.
This hatred and anger was not only felt by Yuan Shao, but also by the imperial court.
If the court had not been overly suspicious of him, the troops he led would have probably reached Xiang County by now. Why is he boycotting here?
"Fengxiao, where is your wine?" Suddenly, Cao Cao turned around and saw that Guo Jia's hands were empty, and asked in confusion.
Guo Jia looked helpless and said, "I'm tired of drinking it. I'll ask someone to find some new wine."
Cao Cao smiled and said, "What can they find? I have hidden more than ten jars of good wine in Yingchuan and asked someone to deliver them to me."
Guo Jia did not refuse. He exhaled lightly and said, "General, Liu Yao, Zhuge Xuan and others may be of use. Their hearts are with the court."
Cao Cao hummed and said, "I see. We need to wait and see. We must first destroy Dong."
Guo Jia didn't know if Cao Cao had heard it, so he changed the subject and said with a smile, "I heard that Yuan Rang fought against Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, and both were defeated in fifty moves. But Commandant Xu fought Guan Yu to a draw. General, why don't you go and take a look?"
Cao Cao has always loved talents, whether they are civil or military, he is extremely eager, thinking of Guan Yu, he strode forward and said, "Let's go!"
Guo Jia followed behind him, but after walking a few steps, he started coughing again. Looking at the blood in his palm, his expression was a little gloomy.
Cao Cao didn't notice and walked straight to the martial arts training ground.
Liu Bei returned to the big tent and paced back and forth, feeling extremely impatient.
Zhang Fei's eyes were swollen, and he said, "Brother, what's there to worry about? Whether it's Cao Cao or Yuan Shao, as long as we win the battle, can't we return to Xuzhou?"
Guan Yu held the sword in his hand, still a little out of breath, stroking his beard, thinking: "Brother, what you are worried about is the split of the coalition forces. Will Cao Cao and Yuan Shao turn against each other and fight first?"
Liu Bei's face was filled with worry. He sighed, stopped, looked outside the tent, and said, "My second brother is right. Both Cao Cao and Yuan Shao are unwilling to be inferior to others. Yuan Shao has his own plans, and Cao Cao has his own calculations. If these two continue to fight overtly and covertly to defeat Dong Zhuo, I'm afraid they will fall apart before they reach Qiao County."
Guan Yu put down his knife, put one hand behind his back, and his phoenix eyes flashed.
Seeing that Guan Yu did not respond, Zhang Fei shouted, "Brother, who cares? If they don't fight, we will. Isn't it just Dong Zhuo? What's there to be afraid of?"
Liu Bei sighed, thinking of the many talented people under Yuan Shao's command. He had no one else on his side except his two sworn brothers.
"Let's take it one step at a time." Liu Bei was extremely helpless. He wanted to fight the enemy, but he felt powerless.
Guan Yu opened his eyes, put down his hand from his beard, and said, "Brother, Cao Cao said this, most likely to force Yuan Shao to send troops, not necessarily to really break up. Now, we have to see how Yuan Shao reacts."
"I thought of that, too."
Liu Bei looked outside the tent and saw that Cao Cao's men seemed to be coming. He asked, "Second brother, what do you think?"
Guan Yu snorted coldly and said, "In my opinion, Yuan Shao doesn't dare to turn against Cao Cao. With Dong Zhuo in front and the imperial court behind him, Yuan Shao will most likely really send troops."
"Even if they really march forward, they may not really contribute their efforts."
Liu Bei had already seen who was coming, so he stopped talking and said, "These words must not be spread to anyone else."
Zhang Fei immediately shouted, "If we don't tell, will Sun Ce not tell?"
Liu Bei was startled, then he smiled and went out to meet Yang Xiu, saying, "Dezu?"
Yang Xiu quickly raised his hand to greet him, saying, "This humble official greets Envoy Liu."
Yang Xiu came from the Hongnong Yang family, which was the undisputed number one family in the world. With three officials in five generations, who could compare to them?
Moreover, Yang Xiu’s father, Yang Biao, was the former prime minister who had retired not long ago. He was not one of the Three Dukes, but the prime minister!
Everyone would look up to Yang Xiu - he was destined to have a bright future!
Liu Bei was naturally polite and said with a smile on his face, "Did General Cao send Dezu?"
Yang Xiu stretched his head and saw Guan Yu coming out. He said quickly, "Replying to General Liu, my general thought that Commandant Guan and Commandant Xu were fighting, so he went to see them. But he heard that Commandant Guan came back soon, so he has been waiting for a long time."
Liu Bei raised his head, looked surprised, and said quickly, "I'm calling you to talk to you about something. I'll go right away."
Yang Xiu said nothing more. He stepped aside and followed Liu Bei. Seeing that there was no one else, he whispered, "Envoy Liu, I heard that the rear general is going too."
Liu Bei's expression slightly changed, and then he smiled and said, "That will be lively. Second brother, remember to be careful and don't hurt anyone. We are comrades, not enemies."
"Got it." Guan Yu said indifferently, his eyes narrowed, tightly gripping the long sword in his hand, but he was eager to try.
Xu Zhu is truly a hard to beat opponent.
Liu Bei walked a few steps and suddenly said to Yang Xiu: "Grandpa De, I heard that the court is selecting governors for the four states of Yang, Yu, Yi, and You?"
Yang Xiu looked respectful, but he had no good feelings towards Liu Shijun who always had a sincere smile on his face. He responded calmly, "Yes, but there is a lot of controversy in the court. It is said that some ministers and assistant ministers of the six ministries think that the governors and provincial governors have too much power, and they plan to add left and right chancellors and left and right ministers."
Liu Bei was stunned. He, the governor of Xuzhou, was completely unaware of such a big thing.
If the left and right chancellors and the left and right councillors were established under him, the power of the governor would be greatly divided and weakened. He would no longer be the local emperor whose word was law! ?
Liu Bei thought more highly of Yang Xiu, and asked as he walked, "Grandmaster De, what does the court think of the rear general?"
Yang Xiu knew what Liu Bei was asking, and he did not hide it. He said, "Most of them are not good. Most of them are shouting for war and killing. Among them, the voices from the six ministries and nine temples are the loudest, followed by the six ministries. The Shangshutai is relatively silent, with very few voices coming out."
Liu Bei looked thoughtful and asked with a smile: "What about me?"
Yang Xiu glanced at Liu Bei, and saw Yuan Shao walking towards the martial arts training ground not far away. He said calmly, "May I ask, General Liu, are you really a relative of the Han Dynasty?"
Liu Bei's expression became serious, and he said in a deep voice: "Of course there is, as evidenced by the family tree."
Yang Xiu hesitated for a moment and said, "The Taichang Temple has checked carefully and said that since your ancestor, the court has no records of clan records. Many people believe that Liu Shijun is pretending to be a relative of the Han Dynasty, which is a serious crime!"