Ji Han Liu Zhang

Xudu.

"I got it, I got it." Guo Jia, who was careless in his words and deeds and behaved in a wild and unrestrained manner, stepped into the lobby of Sikong Mansion with a joyful shout. He strode forward to Cao Cao and handed him a document.

At the same time, Guo Jia said, "Mingsir, Yuan Shao received the imperial decree and happily sent Gao Gan to Hedong via Shangdang County... This time, the secret service reported that Gao Gan has arrived at Huguan and will soon enter Hedong... Your plan has worked for Yuan Shao."

Hearing this, Cao Cao showed no surprise on his face, as if everything was under control. While taking the document from Guo Jia, he laughed loudly and said, "I have known Yuan Shao for a long time, and I know him very well. He is greedy for small profits and forgets the greater good. He is not fit to accomplish great things."

After welcoming the emperor and taking charge of state affairs, Cao Cao's ambition grew day by day. He was no longer willing to be under Yuan Shao and no longer follow Yuan Shao's orders. Instead, he wanted to be independent.

It's just that right now, due to the unrest in all directions caused by Lü Bu in Xuzhou, Yuan Shu in Huainan, and the bandits in Mount Tai, it's not convenient for him to break off relations with Yuan Shao for the time being.

However, when Cao Cao talked with his trusted advisers on a daily basis, he no longer showed the same respect for Yuan Shao as before. His attitude reversed and he even looked down on Yuan Shao.

After he sneered at Yuan Shao for forgetting his loyalty for the sake of petty gains, Cao Cao breathed a sigh of relief: "Gao Gan rushed to Hedong to take up the post of governor of Hedong. Liu Zhang of Guanzhong will not tolerate it. How can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed? When Hebei and Guanzhong fight over Hedong, I can sit back and watch in the Central Plains and wait for an opportunity to act."

Guo Jia smiled and said, "Hedong is an important place. If Yuan Shao gets it, Liu Zhang will definitely not agree to it. If Liu Zhang gets it, Yuan Shao will probably find it hard to tolerate it. It won't be long before the two families fight for Hedong. You should just wait and see what happens."

When Cao Cao heard this, he couldn't help but show joy on his brows. Liu Zhang in Guanzhong and Yuan Shao in Hebei were both forces that posed a greater threat to him. Now, he was using the emperor's order and issuing an imperial edict to make Yuan Shao and Liu Zhang fight each other. It was a pleasure.

"Speaking of which, what is the current situation of Gongsun and Zhang Yan? The two families have been disturbing Taihang and Yixian areas, making it impossible for Yuan Shao to do anything. But they are helping us." Cao Cao thought for a moment and asked about the situation of Gongsun Zan in Yixian and the Black Mountain bandit Zhang Yan.

The most powerful vassal state in the world is Hebei.

Jizhou in Hebei has a population of one million and a prosperous population; Youzhou and Bingzhou have armor and soldiers that can be used and are extremely strong; Qingzhou is the holy land of Confucianism, where the ancestor Confucius lived; therefore, those who occupy Hebei have soldiers and food, and have Yanshan behind them, and embrace Bohai and Taihang, so they can defend themselves on three sides and control the princes on one side.

For this reason, in Cao Cao's mind, although Yuan Shao was a man of many talents and incompetent, he was still a great threat to him from Hebei. If the troops from Hebei went south to Yanyu, he would find it difficult to deal with them. If he was not careful, the result would be disastrous.

Fortunately, Gongsun Zan of Yi County and the Black Mountain bandits of Taihang are internal troubles for Yuan Shao, preventing him from doing anything he wants. If Gongsun and Black Mountain were eliminated by Yuan Shao, the beacon fire would always be lit to the north of Xu Du.

Guo Jia shook his head when he heard this. "Since the defeat at Jieqiao and Longcou, Gongsun Zan has stationed his troops in Yi County and built tall buildings. He has no intention of fighting and only wants to defend. However, Yuan's attacks are very fierce, like ghosts and gods. As of today, Yi County is in turmoil and Gongsun Zan is in danger of losing his life."

"Can Heishan provide assistance?" Cao Cao remembered the alliance between Gongsun Zan and the Heishan bandit Zhang Yan, and considered the possibility of Zhang Yan rescuing Gongsun Zan.

Guo Jia shook his head again: "Gongsun Zan has lost his courage and will, and is at the end of his rope. Even if the Black Mountain bandit Zhang Yan rescues Gongsun Zan this time and lifts the siege of Yi County, Gongsun Zan will be defeated by Yuan Shao sooner or later the next time, and the next time... From my point of view, the four states of Hebei will definitely be captured by Yuan Shao."

Cao Cao was silent. In fact, he knew in his heart that Gongsun Zan and the Black Mountain Bandits, one had lost the will to fight, and the other was a mob. Even if the two parties joined forces, they would never be Yuan Shao's opponent. Sooner or later, they would be wiped out by Yuan Shao one by one. "Let's not talk about Hebei and Guanzhong. Liu Zhang has been fighting for years, and Guanzhong has just been settled. There will definitely be no action for a while. As for Hebei, although Gongsun Zan and the Black Mountain Bandits are not very capable, they should be able to delay Yuan Shao for a year or two... Let's gather people together to discuss the conquest of Xuzhou."

Cao Cao declared.

Taking advantage of the fact that Yuan Shao and Liu Zhang would not take any action against Yanyu for the time being, Cao Cao decided to seize this opportunity, lead his troops to Xuzhou, defeat Lu Bu, clear the coast of the East China Sea, and prevent the Xuzhou land from becoming a threat to him.

……

Shangdang County, Huguan County.

As the nephew of Yuan Shao, the leader of the world's princes, and the son of Gao Gong, the former governor of Shu County, and a high-ranking official from the Gao family of Chenliu, he was talented and ambitious, and was outstanding in both civil and military affairs, and was very close to Yuan Shao.

Now, the imperial court issued an edict appointing Gao Gan as the prefect of Hedong. After consulting Yuan Shao's opinion, Gao Gan happily climbed Taihang Mountain and prepared to go to Hedong via Shangdang County to take up the post, replacing Wang Yi, who was removed from the post of prefect of Hedong by the imperial court.

At present, Gao Gan was passing through Huguan County. Seeing that it was getting dark, he planned to rest in Huguan County for a night and continue his journey tomorrow morning to avoid losing the graceful demeanor of a son of a noble family.

However, after nightfall, the high-ranking official who received the news completely lost the calmness of a noble family member. He frowned and said with an unhappy look, "Can you tell me again?"

"Reporting to the Lord, Hedong Prefect Wang Yi sent General Fan Xian to garrison in Donghuan and assigned soldiers to guard the pass. It seems that he is trying to prevent the Lord from taking up the post of Hedong Prefect." When the messenger heard Gao Gan's question, he immediately repeated it.

"How dare you." Gao Gan sneered. He thought that Wang Yi's behavior was extremely bold. He also knew that Wang Yi was going to Hedong to take up the post of prefect at the order of the court. Wang Yi sent troops to stop him, which was against the court.

In addition, Gao Gan regarded his uncle Yuan Shao as the leader of all the princes in the universe. When he gave an order, all the princes in the four directions obeyed it. Wherever the troops went, all the people in the world were subdued. However, he did not expect that Wang Yi had such courage and sent county soldiers to block his way.

Amid Gao Gan's displeasure, the envoy continued to speak, "My Lord, there is one more thing. I heard that Wang Yi sent an envoy to Xudu, saying that the people of Hedong were greedy for his kindness and were unwilling to let him go, so he asked Wang Yi to continue to serve as the governor of Hedong."

"Heh." Gao Gan snorted lightly, his face full of disdain. Judging from Wang Yi's current actions, Wang Yi had made two preparations. One hand was to stop him from setting foot in Hedong, and the other hand was to politely refuse the imperial court's order. It seemed that he did not dare to be a traitor to the Han Dynasty.

"This matter has no say for Wang Yi."

Gao Gan waved his hand to dismiss the envoy. After considering for a moment, he decided to use courtesy before force. He first sent an envoy to Hedong to persuade Wang Yi to resign. If not, he would have to use his sword to kill some meat. (End of this chapter)