12dz Chapter 298 Time is Victory
Chapter 298 Time is Victory
Chapter 298 Time is Victory
Cao Cao hurried back to Qiao County with Liu Bian's three questions.
By the time he arrived, the situation in Jiangdong had changed drastically.
Inside the Qiao County government office.
Cao Cao sat at the main seat, with Guo Jia, Yang Xiu, Lu Yu, Cao Ren, Xiahou Dun, Le Jin and others sitting on his sides.
Yang Xiu raised his hand to Cao Cao, his expression serious, and said: "General, judging from the battle reports of the past few days, Yuan Shu has been besieged by Yuan Shao in Fuchun Mountain. However, Yuan Shao was not in a hurry to eliminate Yuan Shu, but sent troops to occupy the land of Yangzhou. His intentions are clear. Sun Jian and Lu Bu fought in Guangling, and the outcome is unknown. Liu Biao has taken Jingzhou into his pocket. Gongsun has occupied Lujiang and is eyeing Jiangxia covetously. Although the situation in Jiaozhi is unclear, I guess it is already a piece of fat meat in Shi Xie's mouth..."
Cao Cao had anticipated this situation, and with a sullen face, he asked, "What unusual moves has Dong Zhuo made?"
Yang Xiu glanced at the others and said, "No news yet. I think this lack of news is the most terrifying thing."
Xiahou Dun then said, "There was news earlier that Dong Zhuo wanted to collude with the Three Qiang and return to Xiliang?"
Yang Xiu said: "Yes. However, the imperial court has put a lot of pressure on the three Qiang. The three Qiang are probably pretending to comply and may not really dare to agree."
Guo Jia drank the wine, but he was not as leisurely as before, and said: "The three Qiang are no longer the same as before, and will not rebel again. They just want benefits and collude with Dong Zhuo. They have the same idea."
Seeing this, Cao Cao suddenly looked at Lu Yu with some gentleness and asked, "What is the court's plan for the Three Qiang?"
Lu Yu was the youngest. He was both an imperial envoy and a close minister of Liu Bian. No one dared to underestimate him, and everyone's eyes were on Lu Yu.
Lu Yu was not intimidated at all and said, "Zhong Pushe went to the Three Qiang several times, and Wang Tingwei also went there once. The Three Qiang requested to be the General of Zhenxi, but the court did not grant it."
Cao Cao nodded and explained to everyone: "General Zhenxi means that the court tacitly gave Liangzhou to them, and also required them to provide a large amount of money and food every year."
Everyone understood, and it would be strange if the court agreed.
Although the imperial court was weak and adopted many conservative policies on many issues, in actual operations it was extremely tough and never bowed its head.
Guo Jia drank his wine, looked at Cao Cao, and kept thinking about the situation in his mind.
Yuan Shu's declaration of himself as emperor could not have been a more foolish move. Being the target of public criticism, his defeat was inevitable.
With the defeat of Yuan Shu, the princes of Jiangdong appeared before the imperial court and became the targets of attack.
But before that, there was another troublesome person to deal with - Dong Zhuo.
In Guo Jia's view, Dong Zhuo was actually not difficult to deal with. The key to the problem was the intention of the court.
From today's perspective, the court's decision to send Dong Zhuo to Yuzhou was itself an act to divert the conflicts and focus in Luoyang.
After five or six years of development, the imperial court had recovered a lot of its vitality, and the time was ripe to deal with Dong Zhuo.
But will the imperial court choose to deal with Dong Zhuo?
Once Dong Zhuo is destroyed, all the contradictions covered up by the rebellion will erupt. Can the Han Dynasty withstand another Yellow Turban Rebellion or an endless war to quell the rebellion?
Cao Cao noticed Guo Jia's deep thoughts. In the silence, he said in a deep voice: "The situation is critical. The Grand Marshal's Mansion has granted me the right to act at my discretion. Everyone, train the troops, prepare food and fodder, and wait for my orders at any time!"
"Your humble servant obeys your orders!"
Everyone stood up and left the back hall.
Lu Yuben was still a little hesitant, but when he saw everyone stood up, he had to leave with them.
Guo Jia didn't move.
After Cao Cao and the others left, he asked, "Feng Xiao, are you considering Dong Zhuo's matter?"
Guo Jia took a sip of wine and shook his head, "I wonder where the general's achievements are."
Cao Cao was stunned and a little surprised. He didn't know how to answer for a moment.
Cao Cao compared himself to Wei Qing, and was eager to achieve great things and become famous in history.
In today's chaotic world with rebellion raging, isn't this the best time to achieve success?
Cao Cao didn't ask the question, but was thinking about Guo Jia's words in his heart.
Although Guo Jia loves drinking and often behaves differently from ordinary people, when it comes to important matters, his words are always on point!
Guo Jia didn't say anything either, and the two of them remained silent.
After a while, Cao Cao came to his senses and said, "Mr. Zhang not only has the right to act at the pleasure of the Grand Marshal's Mansion, but also has three issues in the palace."
Guo Jia put down the wine that was about to reach his mouth, sat up straight, and said with an unprecedented seriousness, "The general's achievements lie in these three questions!"
Cao Cao couldn't help but take a deep breath and said, "First, why did the world move and why did it return? Second, who are the heroes in the world? Third, how about Xu County?"
Guo Jia listened carefully, but was a little stunned. He subconsciously picked up the wine jug and brought it to his mouth.
Cao Cao remained motionless and said, "First, I can answer that it is nothing more than the word power. Second, it should refer to treason, I can barely answer that. But third, what exactly does this Xu County refer to?"
Guo Jia drank his wine, his mind racing, and continued, "These three questions seem unrelated, yet they seem to have a profound meaning. Your Majesty's question to the general seems to be a warning."
Guo Jia couldn't figure out what these three questions referred to for a while, and could only guess the general idea.
Cao Cao thought about it all the way but still couldn't figure it out. Seeing that Guo Jia was also puzzled, he said, "Feng Xiao said before that he was wondering where my achievements are?"
Guo Jia suddenly had an idea in his mind, as if he had thought of something. He then frowned, leaned back slowly, and said thoughtfully, "Yuzhou has neither natural defenses nor strong passes. The court placed Dong Zhuo here just to attract the world's attention and free up the court to deal with bad policies. It is actually easier to eliminate Dong Zhuo than Yuan Shu."
After all, the Yuan family had three dukes for four generations. In addition, the Yuan family was executed, and Yuan Shu won the sympathy of the gentry. Also, the "Han Dynasty was about to end", and the young emperor succeeded to the throne. For a time, he was extremely prestigious, had great momentum, and had countless supporters.
But Dong Zhuo was a cowardly person. The court, the public and the gentry all looked down on him and he was almost isolated. How could such a person last long even if he had more clever tactics and stronger soldiers than Yuan Shu?
Upon hearing this, Cao Cao's face turned pale.
Yuan Shu had been destroyed, and Dong Zhuo was more difficult to deal with than Yuan Shu. So where were Cao Cao's achievements?
Guo Jia looked at Cao Cao, thinking about Liu Bian's three questions. He always felt that the question about Xu County was inexplicable and had nothing to do with him, but it was obvious that he was hinting at something.
These three questions should be a warning to Cao Cao, but Guo Jia couldn't figure out what they meant, which made him feel a little irritated and uneasy.
With Yuan Shu's downfall imminent, will the imperial court suppress Dong next?
At that time, would Cao Cao be the main force? If Cao Cao was the main force, then Yuzhou would inevitably fall into Cao Cao's hands.
It's not just Yuzhou, perhaps also Xuzhou. In the south, Sun Jian, Liu Biao, and Shi Xie have already become powerful figures, plus Gongsun Zan, Yuan Shao and others, all of whom need Cao Cao to deal with.
By then, Cao Cao's importance will become unprecedented!
He controlled two states and had hundreds of thousands of soldiers, standing between the southern princes and Luoyang.
Already have the ability to influence the world situation!
Thinking of this, Guo Jia shuddered and suddenly woke up.
"No wonder the palace would warn the general at this time..." Guo Jia drank his wine, his eyes like lightning, surging with light, and said to himself.
There were only two people in the back hall, and Guo Jia's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but Cao Cao could hear it clearly.
He didn't care about anything else, he just stood up and sat opposite Guo Jia, and said: "Feng Xiao, what did you see?"
Guo Jia could not help but sit up straight, looking at Cao Cao's solemn face, nodded, and said: "Your Majesty, you have a more far-sighted vision than us. Although I still can't figure out the Xu County, but overall, Your Majesty is preparing for the aftermath of the destruction of Dong."
Cao Cao hadn't thought that far yet, and said, "The court is determined to destroy you, don't you understand?"
Guo Jia's eyes flashed with a hint of hesitation, which was rare. He said, "It's hard to say. However, judging from your majesty's arrangements, the destruction of Dong is not far away."
Cao Cao couldn't help but feel a surge of pride and excitement in his heart, but he soon calmed down and said, "Will the court abandon me? Will they suppress Dong Zhuo without me?"
"will not."
Guo Jia did not drink, and his face was thoughtful. He said, "Your Majesty brought these three questions, which is obviously a warning in advance that you want to use the general. However, I can't guess how to suppress Dong. The palace has a longer-term vision than us, and its plot is deeper."
Cao Cao knew Liu Bian better than Guo Jia. He was silent for a while and said, "The Grand Marshal's Office has given me the order to act according to my discretion. Your Majesty has sent me three more questions, which means I have to do it without hesitation."
Guo Jia looked at him and said, "Since the palace has given you a warning, if you make a mistake, your reputation in the court will be ruined."
Cao Cao looked calm, and suddenly laughed out loud, saying, "I, Cao Cao, act with loyalty and righteousness in mind. As for those corrupt scholars in the court, Cao Cao doesn't care at all. Fengxiao, don't worry. Even if I die, I will keep you safe!"
Guo Jia looked at Cao Cao's genuine expression, slowly put the wine pot in his hand on the ground, and said thoughtfully: "Since the general has made up his mind, what we need to do now is to strike first."
Cao Cao immediately sat up straighter and said, "Feng Xiao, tell me in detail."
The thoughtful look on Guo Jia's face disappeared, his eyes were firm, and he said: "Yuan Shu is already a doomed dog, there is no need to worry about him. The one you have to deal with is Dong Zhuo. I predict that Dong Zhuo will also take the initiative at this time, either attacking you or sending troops to Xuzhou. Even if he sends troops to Xuzhou, he will stop you. So, you have to be quick!"
Cao Cao's ambition surged again, and he said, "Take a detour and attack the heartland of Pei State directly?"
Guo Jia shook his head and said, "Dong Zhuo is not one of those Yellow Turban bandits. This method will not work against him. The best way is to set up a battle formation to force him to not move. Time is on the general's side. The longer we drag it out, the greater the chance of victory!"
Cao Cao was not satisfied and asked, "Drag him away?"
Guo Jia said: "Drag him down! General, don't think it's easy to defeat Dong Zhuo or force him to surrender. Dong Zhuo has been in battle for a long time and has many advisers and generals under his command. He will not be easily fooled. The general's most important goal now is to delay Dong Zhuo. As long as we delay him, once Yuan Shu is completely destroyed, the court will be free to wipe out Dong Zhuo in a matter of seconds!"
"Fengxiao, do you have any other plans?" Cao Cao did not want to drag it out, as this would be tantamount to handing the credit to others.
Guo Jia reached out and picked up the wine jug, took a sip slowly, and said, "No."
The answer was crisp and clear, without any hesitation.
Cao Cao could hear it, and just as he was about to speak, Xiahou Dun rushed in and said, "General, Dong Zhuo is coming to attack us!"
The updates are unstable, and I would like to apologize to everyone here. I have not been feeling well recently and it is hard to put into words.
But I have been receiving treatment and my condition is improving slightly.
Starting tomorrow I will try my best to update more than 4,000 words a day. Thank you all for your continued support!