Han family achievements

Chapter 319
When Yuan Shao successfully destroyed Gongsun Zan, Cao Cao was attacking Runan.

Runan County is a large county. Although it has suffered many hardships, it still has a large population and large and small counties are connected.

As Cao Cao banned his troops, Dong Zhuo's troops retreated in an orderly manner, showing little resistance at all, as if they were about to hand over Runan County.

Cao Cao, who had suffered losses, did not rush forward rashly. Instead, he fought steadily and gradually 'recovered' Runan, keeping great vigilance against Dong Zhuo.

In late August of the fifth year of Yonghan, Cao Cao occupied almost the entire Runan, and at the same time received Gongsun Zan's head from Yuan Shao.

In the tent, Cao Cao stared at the unrecognizable Gongsun Zan's head, his face as dark as water and his eyes blazing with anger.

Cao Hong was even more furious and shouted: "What do you mean by Yuan Shao'er? Are you trying to scare us? General, Yuan Shao'er killed General Fenwu without permission. The general will ask for orders and lead an army to attack!"

Everyone else looked ugly. Yuan Shao gave Gongsun Zan's head to Cao Cao, which contained too many weird thoughts!
Guo Jia, Yang Xiu, Sima Yi, Cao Ren, Xiahou Dun, Xia Houyuan, Le Jin and others also looked ugly. Yuan Shao's move was like declaring war on Cao Cao!
When Cao Hong finished speaking and everyone was silent, Yang Xiu raised his hand and said: "General, no matter what Yuan Shao's purpose is, the most important thing right now is to conquer Dong Zhuo. We must not start any more disputes."

The "challenging Dong" camp has lost one Gongsun Zan. If Cao Cao and Yuan Shao fight again, Dong Zhuo will laugh out of his dreams!
Cao Cao glanced at him, his expression becoming more and more gloomy.

As a powerful general appointed by the imperial court, Cao Cao wanted to destroy Dong Zhuo first, but Yuan Shao first killed Gongsun Zan and then sent Gongsun Zan's head to Cao Cao. His intentions are unpredictable!
Xiahou Dun, Xia Houyuan and others did not dare to speak. They clearly knew that the matter was of great importance and did not dare to speak randomly. Their eyes turned back and forth on Cao Cao and Guo Jia.

These two people are the key to determining how they respond.

Guo Jia drank wine with an expressionless face and kept looking outside the tent.

The anger in Cao Cao's heart can be imagined. It did not explode. It was already the result of exerting restraint.

In the past, Cao Cao would have used his sword to kill people, and even sent troops to Yangzhou.

Cao Cao gritted his teeth with hatred, but gradually calmed down on the surface, and said calmly: "Fengxiao, what do you think?"

Guo Jia held the wine pot and said, "I heard that Yuan Shao has sent troops to Runan?"

Yang Xiu answered, "Yes. Runan is the ancestral land of the Yuan family. Yuan Shao's intention is to come to worship his ancestors and send troops from Runan to conquer Dong Zhuo."

Guo Jia took a sip of wine, turned around, and said to Cao Cao: "General, Yuzhou is a critical place, where the north and the south must meet. Yuan Shao enters Runan, he is afraid that he intends to swallow up Yuzhou."

Cao Cao snorted coldly and said: "It's ridiculous! You just wiped out one Yuan Shu, do you really think that the world is invincible and that he can rule over you?"

Guo Jiadao: "I heard that Yuan Shao sent out a message to conquer Dong Zhuo, but he only missed the general."

As soon as Guo Jia's words came out, the atmosphere in the big tent became more condensed.

I missed Cao Cao. Who is Cao Cao? Who in the world doesn’t know Cao Cao’s name?

Yuan Shao first sent Gongsun Zan's head, but then deliberately refused to send a message to Cao Cao. What was he thinking?
Cao Hong couldn't help it anymore and said loudly: "General, I think Yuan Shao regards the general as the second Gongsun Zan. We must not be polite to him. According to me, it is not too late to destroy Yuan Shao first, and then Dong Zhuo!"

Cao Cao glanced at the old man and had nothing to say. His eyes turned around and suddenly fell on Sima Yi, saying, "What do you think?"

Sima Yi naturally knew that Cao Cao did not like him, so he pondered for a moment and immediately said: "General, destroying Dong Zhuo is the first priority of the imperial court. If the general fights with Yuan Shao, it will ruin the plan and give Dong Zhuo a chance. At this time, the general must focus on the overall situation and must not act rashly."

"What is rashness?"

Xia Houyuan couldn't sit still anymore and said coldly: "Cao Cao has killed Gongsun Zan and sent Gongsun Zan's head in front of us. How can we pretend that nothing happened and join forces to challenge Dong together? Don't you? Are you worried that Yuan Shao will swallow us up in one gulp?"

"No." Sima Yiyi said concisely.

Xia Houyuan originally wanted to argue with him, but when he saw that he only said these two words, he swallowed the words on his lips and asked instead: "Why?"

The eyes of not only Xia Houyuan, but also Cao Cao, Guo Jia, Cao Ren, Yang Xiu and others all fell on Sima Yi.

Sima Yi was still a young and inexperienced boy here. He faced so many looks, but he didn't panic and said: "General, Yuan Shao attacked Gongsun Zan. He said that Gongsun Zan attacked first and he was defending himself. At this time, Although this excuse is poor, the court will not pursue it. Yuan Shao sent Gongsun Zan's head mostly out of a kind of intimidation to force the general to be lower than him. The fundamental purpose is to unite the generals to destroy Dong Zhuo. Based on the current situation, Dong Zhuo is the common enemy of the general and Yuan Shao. Even if the general and Yuan Shao are compatible, he may not be Dong Zhuo's opponent. If Yuan Shao insists on fighting with the general, Dong Zhuo will benefit, which is not the result Yuan Shao wants. To sum up As mentioned above, the official has determined that Yuan Shao is only threatening, and will not and does not dare to confront the general with swords."

Guo Jia stared at Sima Yi quietly, and then quietly looked at Cao Cao.

It seemed that Cao Cao was looking at Sima Yi seriously for the first time, and thought to himself: I'm actually looking down on him.

Cao Cao and Guo Jia looked at each other, suppressing their anger and said, "Fengxiao, what do you think?"

Guo Jia drank the wine and said: "Sima's words have some truth. No matter what Yuan Shao's purpose is in giving Gongsun Zan's head to the general, he will not go to war with the general. Instead, he will use the general to conquer Dong Zhuo with him. Not for the time being. Speaking of Yuan Shao, there are two paths before the general. One is to wait for Yuan Shao to enter Runan and join forces to attack Pei; the other is to block Yuan Shao from Runan and divide his forces to attack."

Cao Cao remained calm as he glanced at the others with his peripheral vision and said, "Zixiao, what do you think?"

Among Cao Cao's generals, Cao Ren was the most popular with him. He was steady and energetic, making him a good general.

Cao Ren raised his hand and said: "The last general suggested joining forces. The Dong thieves are powerful and have endless tricks. We should face each other head on and strive to win in one battle. We cannot delay for too long."

Cao Cao nodded heavily and said, "My son's words of filial piety are reasonable. What do others think?"

Yang Xiu's mind was sharp. He looked at Cao Cao, Guo Jia, and Cao Ren, and he immediately understood. He quickly raised his hand and said: "I agree, I put the overall situation first."

Xiahou Dun knew Cao Cao too well, so he followed up: "The general seconded his opinion."

Xia Houyuan and others followed soon after, and everyone seemed to have lost their anger over Yuan Shao sending Gongsun Zan's head, and all agreed to join forces with Yuan Shao to jointly conquer Dong Zhuo.

Only Cao Hong couldn't stand Le Jin's violent temper, but under everyone's approval, he turned pale, raised his hands while holding his neck, and went with the flow to endure it.

Cao Cao took in the expressions of all of them, raised his head and chest, and said in a deep voice: "However, Yuan Shao bullies me like this, how can I let it go! Xiahou Dun, Le Jin, you lead ten thousand troops to block Yuan Shao in Runan Besides, if he breaks in forcefully... fight him back!"

Xiahou Dun was startled, and Le Jin couldn't wait to say: "The last general takes orders!"

Xiahou Dun responded to Cao Cao's gaze, recalled instantly, and said: "The last general has taken the order."

Guo Jia drank wine and smiled to himself. He was a general who was sometimes generous and tolerant, but sometimes he was also very petty.

Yang Xiu and others wanted to continue to persuade Cao Cao to put the overall situation first, but they didn't want to. Cao Cao suddenly stood up, drew his sword, and shouted in a deep voice: "There are many nobles in Runan who are rebellious and unrepentant. Xia Houyuan, my general You are ordered to seize it immediately. Anyone who disobeys the order will be executed on the spot for treason. No mercy!" "The last general will take the order!" Xia Houyuan responded loudly.

Yang Xiu, Sima Yi and others were familiar with Cao Cao's past, and also knew how Xia Houyuan was imprisoned for four or five years. They deliberately tried to dissuade him, but under Cao Cao's cold and stern eyes, they could only keep their words to themselves.

Guo Jia didn't care and just shook his head secretly.

Cao Cao is now seriously short of food and grass, and Runan has been raided countless times in the past few decades, from the Yellow Turban Army to various rebellions, to Yuan Shu, Gongsun Zan, Dong Zhuo, etc.

Cao Cao arranged his troops in formation. After a while, after everyone left, only Guo Jia and Cao Cao were left.

Cao Cao couldn't hide it anymore, his face was livid, and he almost roared: "Yuan Shao, my son, Cao Cao will definitely kill you in the future!"

Guo Jia sat upright, put down the wine bottle, and waited for Cao Cao to vent for a while before saying: "General, it is absolutely impossible for Yuan Shao to rebel in a short period of time. However, he will not use all his strength to challenge Dong."

Cao Cao was still angry, but his reason was still there, and he sneered: "Yuan Shao just wants to use Dong Zhuo to increase his reputation, expand his troops, and take the opportunity to weaken the imperial court. This thief has no overall interest in the overall situation, but he has the hope of the world. It is really ridiculous!"

Guo Jia looked a little more serious and said: "General, you must not underestimate this person. Now there is chaos in the south and the court is unstable. It is the time when rebels are surging. If Dong Zhuo cannot be wiped out this time and the court's prestige is not strengthened, it will be." The imperial court is in danger!"

Cao Cao frowned and said, "Isn't the words of filial piety too serious?"

Guo Jia shook his head and said more seriously: "The imperial court has recently promulgated many 'new policies', which seem to be old tunes and new talks, but after careful study, I found that there is only one word behind these major policies."

Cao Cao couldn't help but look solemn and said: "What word?"

Guo Jia looked more serious than ever before and said: "'Urgent'! Behind these major affairs, there is a strong sense of urgency. This is true for Liucaojiu Temple, Shangshutai, Tingwei, Yushitai, etc. The whole court is anxious. , that only means one thing - His Majesty in the palace is anxious!"

Cao Cao's expression changed, his face became sullen, and his eyes flashed like lightning.

He had stayed in the palace for a long time and had a certain understanding of His Majesty.He was a man who had inexplicable confidence, long-term planning, and acted quite calmly.

What could make him anxious?
Cao Cao thought of it quickly, his narrow eyes gradually became cold, and he looked at Guo Jia with a hint of eagerness, and said, "What should I do now?"

In this campaign to conquer Dong Zhuo, the imperial court only sent three people, Cao Cao, Liu Bei and the unnamed Yanzhou Zhonglang General Huang Zhong.

Everyone knows that Huang Zhong will not be the main force, because Yanzhou cannot move lightly, let alone cause chaos!
Liu Bei was driven out of Xuzhou by Lu Bu, and now he could not protect himself, let alone conquer Dong Zhuo.

Therefore, the real main force in the imperial court's fight against Dong and its hope rested on Cao Cao alone!

Guo Jia saw this matter clearly. He glanced at the wine bottle on the ground and tried not to move. He said: "To destroy Dong Zhuo, the sooner the better, and with the general as the main force, we must not let others stand aside!"

Cao Cao remained silent, thinking of various strategies.

Seeing that Cao Cao understood, Guo Jia picked up the jug and drank slowly to relieve his alcohol addiction.

After pondering for a long time, Cao Cao did not expect a quick victory. He raised his head and said to Guo Jiaqi: "Fengxiao, is the court really in such a critical situation?"

Guo Jia was inexplicably moved when he heard this, and then said with a smile: "It may not be a crisis, it may be that His Majesty is dissatisfied with the advancement of the 'New Deal' and is a little anxious."

Cao Cao nodded slightly and looked outside the tent, looking towards Luoyang City.

He had a lot of confusion in his heart. This confusion, after all his efforts to catch Jian Shuo, still had not been answered. Instead, he became more worried and vigilant.

Guo Jia pretended to drink and followed Cao Cao's gaze outside, but in fact he was quietly looking at Cao Cao from the corner of his eye.

He has never been able to see through Cao Cao and doesn't know what Cao Cao is thinking.

Especially after Cao Cao seized Qiao County, Guo Jia had some uneasy suspicions about him.

"Liu Bei,"

Suddenly, Cao Cao withdrew his gaze and said to Guo Jia: "I plan to invite him to Runan. What do you think of Fengxiao?"

Guo Jia thought about it carefully and said: "Xuzhou is no longer possible, but it is possible."

Cao Cao nodded and said: "Liu Bei still has more than 1 soldiers and horses. He will join [-] troops with me. The force is equivalent to Yuan Shao. By then, we can kill Dong Zhuo before Yuan Shao. This will greatly enhance the prestige of the court and intimidate all the young people!"

Guo Jia took a sip of wine and said, "General, do you have a reply to the letter you sent to Liu Biao?"

When Cao Cao heard this, he snorted angrily and said, "Because there are so many bandits in Jingzhou that he has no time to escape, not only will he not come in person, he will not even be able to send troops!"

Guo Jia shook his head and said, "This person just wants to sit back and wait for the situation to change."

Cao Cao looked to the south with a mocking look on his face and said: "On the occasion of a great event, you are timid. How can you accomplish great things by doing this?"

Guo Jia also looked down on Liu Biao and said, "Where are the others?"

Cao Cao said: "There are some county guards and county magistrates who responded to me. Many sent money and food, and many were willing to come. There are about seven or eight people."

Guo Jia thought for a while and said: "There should be more. This is a rare opportunity to show up and gain fame. They don't have to charge into battle. Only fools will remain silent."

When Cao Cao heard this, he suddenly said: "Sun Ce, the son of Marquis Wucheng, took the initiative to write to me, saying that he would lead ten thousand troops to form an alliance with me to fight against the thieves together."

Guo Jia couldn't help but smile and said, "So Sun Ce hasn't inherited the title of Marquis of Wucheng yet, has he?"

Cao Cao said: "Yes, the imperial court deliberately suppressed it, but Wu Shangshu, Gong Cao, wrote to me, hoping that I would take care of Sun Ce. He also asked me to inherit the title for Sun Ce and write to the imperial court."

Guo Jia expected that Cao Cao must have received the benefits, and said: "We might as well see if Sun Ce is as brave as his father."

(End of this chapter)