Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

"Benchu, isn't this request a bit too high?"

After a pause, Cao Cao said self-deprecatingly, "In this case, there are too many people who cannot enter the camp. Even Cao has less than 10,000 soldiers under his command now."

And it seemed that Yuan Shao had really accidentally ignored Cao Cao.

When Yuan Shao heard what Cao Cao said, a look of surprise appeared on his face, and then he smiled at Cao Cao.

"Are you, Cao Aman, unwilling to serve the country? General Cao is a wealthy man. If he only pays more money and food, there will be more than 10,000 soldiers under his command."

Cao Cao was quite unhappy. What was the difference between Yuan Shao's words saying that his father Cao Song was a wealthy man and saying that Cao Song was a corrupt official?

What's more, how can everyone compare to the Yuan family's foundation of three generations of officials?
It has been less than half a year since Dong Zhuo left Luoyang for Jizhou and entered the capital. Not only did Yuan Shao get the position of county governor for free, he also easily led 30,000 elite troops to Suanzao. You can imagine how deep his foundation is.

However, there was no sign of abnormality on Cao Cao's face. Instead, he spoke with self-mockery.

"How did my father become so rich? He finally donated a military officer position, but he resigned within a year. Our family is not rich, and we can only recruit 5,000 brave men, which leaves us with nothing."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier, Aman? Aman and I are close friends. If Aman is short of money or food, as long as you ask, how can I sit idly by and do nothing?"

Yuan Shao said this, and then said, "But since A-Man is in such a situation, then only those with 5,000 soldiers can enter the camp..."

After a pause, Yuan Shao, who was now famous and knew that Liu Yu, the real convener of the alliance, would not come to Suanzao in person, and who had consciously regarded himself as the only choice for the leader of the alliance, spoke with a bit of complacency.

"But for these minor matters, we still need to trouble Aman to coordinate them. Please don't cause any conflicts."

"It is only right to fight against the enemy for the country."

Cao Cao responded, and then talked about the past with concern for a few more words before leaving Yuan Shao's tent.

After Cao Cao left, Xu You and Guo Tu walked in from behind the tent and saluted Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao's previous look of majesty and dandyism was now restrained, revealing a friendly and approachable attitude. He said.

"Ziyuan, Gongze, there is no need to be polite. Please take a seat."

After Xu You and Guo Tu sat down with respectful looks, Guo Tu could not wait to speak.

"My lord, Cao Cao may have bad intentions. This action seems to be asking for your advice, but in fact, he hopes that you will be the bad guy who refuses the small princes to enter. Please understand my lord."

Yuan Shao twirled his beard with one hand and spoke with a look of contempt.

"Of course I know what Aman is thinking. Although this may offend some minor princes, it will also help to establish my authority among the allies."

After hearing Yuan Shao's words, Xu You and Guo Tu understood that the person Yuan Shao was really worried about was Yuan Shu.

Among the aristocratic families in Guandong, the Yuan family, with three generations of officials in four generations, is undoubtedly the most prominent.

However, the Yuan family had two heirs, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, which led to constant open and secret struggles between Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu.

Therefore, after it was confirmed at this meeting that Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou, would not come in person, the leader of the alliance would undoubtedly most likely be between Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu.

Therefore, even though Yuan Shao knew Cao Cao's purpose, after casually criticizing Cao Cao for being a eunuch and a corrupt official, he agreed and allowed Cao Cao to allow some small princes with few soldiers and generals to set up camps in other places in the name of the Yuan family.

Upon hearing this, Xu You responded at the right time and said.

"My lord, your concern is just. The bandit Dong has many elite soldiers and generals, and he has the help of the fierce general Lu Bu. I'm afraid those small princes with only a thousand soldiers will not be able to withstand Lu Bu's charge and will be defeated."

"In this way, not only will those small princes suffer more casualties, but the army will also be in danger of being disrupted by the defeated soldiers. I believe that those small princes will understand the Lord's intentions and will be very grateful to the Lord."

Guo Tu couldn't help but secretly glance at Xu You, and secretly hated Xu You in his heart.

These... were the words that Guo Tu was about to say, but Xu You snatched them away.

Despite being flattered by Xu You, Yuan Shao did not show any joy on his face. Instead, he spoke with a look of worry on his face.

"This time, the governor of Youzhou has called on the clan members and princes to fight against Dong, and the momentum is huge, but Dong thief occupies a strong pass, and has Lu Bu's help. It is extremely difficult to defeat Dong thief. Do you two have a good plan?"

When asked about this, Xu You and Guo Tu both chose to keep silent.

The military force under Dong Zhuo's command today can undoubtedly only be described as "terrifying". In addition to the elite troops from Liang Province under Dong Zhuo's command, he also swallowed up the elite troops from Bingzhou and Sili.

It should be noted that the wars of the Han Dynasty in recent years were fought in the three states of Liang, Bing and You. Therefore, the soldiers of Liang, Bing and Sili have been fighting every year, and their combat effectiveness is not comparable to that of ordinary county soldiers.

Yuan Shao, Xu You, and Guo Tu had witnessed Lü Bu's bravery in Luoyang, which was almost inhuman. Therefore, Yuan Shao led 30,000 elite soldiers to the Suanzao Alliance, but deliberately did not bring his powerful generals Yan Liang and Wen Chou, because he knew that Yan Liang and Wen Chou were no match for Lü Bu.

Even if Yan Liang and Wen Chou went up to challenge Lu Bu together, it would be in vain. It would be better not to bring them and let the generals under the command of other princes to resist Lu Bu, so as to avoid losing these two powerful generals and truly damaging their own foundation.

After a while, feeling Yuan Shao's inquiring gaze from time to time, Guo Tu had no choice but to speak.

"My lord, in my opinion, you should be the leader of the alliance, gather the troops, and march step by step. No matter how brave the soldiers under the command of the thief Dong are, how can they resist the whole world?"

However, Guo Tu was a little excited when he spoke, and his mouth opened a little wider, revealing the missing teeth in his mouth. This made the voice of Guo Tu's originally passionate words obviously leak, which added a bit of humor.

Fortunately, Yuan Shao had been educated in an aristocratic family for more than twenty years, so he could control his smile, so as not to hurt Guo Tu's self-esteem, but instead chill the heart of Guo Tu, his trusted aide.

However, looking at Guo Tu's missing teeth reminded Yuan Shao of the number one figure and he spoke.

"I wonder if the great scholar Li Ji will come to this meeting? Many people say: The best warrior in the world is Lu Bu, and the wisest is Li Ji. I wonder if the great scholar Li Ji will have a good plan to defeat the thief Dong."

As soon as these words were spoken, Xu You and Guo Tu's faces looked almost identically ugly.

This name has almost become a nightmare for Xu You and Guo Tu. Seeing their lord praising Li Ji so much makes Xu You and Guo Tu feel like their lovers have betrayed them.

"My lord, it is said that after Li Ji helped Youzhou defeat Wuhuan, he followed the order of Liu Bei, the Japanese general, to lead his army across Yingzhou to investigate Japan. There has been no news for a year or two. Not to mention that he may have died in the sea..."

After a pause, Guo Tu, who couldn't help but curse Li Ji in his heart, changed his tone and continued.

"Even if Li Ji returns to the Central Plains in time, he doesn't know much about the Dong thief, let alone how amazing Lu Bu's bravery is. What useful strategy can he come up with?"

This time, Xu You rarely refuted or criticized Guo Tu, but instead spoke in response.

"My lord, I have heard one or two rumors that Li Ji has returned to Wujun."

"However, Wujun is more than a thousand miles away from Suanzao. I am afraid that even if Liu Bei, the governor of Wujun, is willing to serve his country, it will be difficult for him to rush to Suanzao for the alliance. Even if Li Ji is smart, I am afraid he will not be able to be used by the allied forces."

Yuan Shao sighed slightly and said.

"This is a pity. I have heard a lot about the name of the national scholar. I know that he and the two of you are both rare wise men in the world, but I have never had the opportunity to meet him in person. It is really a pity."

Although it is said that Yuan Shao did not take Li Ji seriously at the beginning, as Guo Tu and Xu You were successively defeated by Li Ji, Yuan Shao's attention to Li Ji inevitably increased.

Not only did Li Ji manage Wujun prosperously, but more importantly, he had previously assisted Youzhou in defeating the Wuhuan, which completely established his reputation as a "national hero".

These deeds not only show that Li Ji's military and political strategies are incomparable to ordinary people, but Liu Yu also publicly praised him for his impeccable character many times!

It can be said that Li Ji is now recognized by the world as a "national hero" and the number one scholar, and this is largely due to the high praise of Liu Yu, who is highly respected in the Han Dynasty.

How could Yuan Shao, who is so versatile and ambitious, not value him?

Although Yuan Shao did not forget to indirectly appease Guo Tu and Xu You through his words, if Li Ji was willing to serve under him, Yuan Shao would almost not hesitate to entrust him with the position of "chief adviser".

As for the minor conflict between Li Ji and Xu You and Guo Tu, Yuan Shao naturally would not mind it, for he knew that Li Ji was such a capable person that he would certainly be able to reconcile the conflicts among his subordinates.

Unfortunately, Yuan Shao had to admit that Xu You had some truth in what he said.

Wu County is located in the east of the Yangtze River, far away from the Central Plains. It is not an easy task to lead the army to Suanzao.

Even if the information transmission was delayed a little, the "Exhortation to Punish Traitors" written by Liu Yu might have just reached Wu County not long ago. How could Wu County have had time to participate in this alliance?
Yuan Shao felt a little regretful, and after resting for a while in the tent, he went to the camp in person to meet with the other princes.

In Yuan Shao's view, the success or failure of the campaign against Dong Zhuo was not of primary importance.

Anyone with a little vision can see that troubled times are coming!
Yuan Shao's top priority was to test the strength of other princes during the meeting and then win over capable people.

With the arrival of Yuan Shao, the other princes who could now truly be called independent rulers also began to arrive in Suanzao.

Later, the generals, Nanyang prefect Yuan Shu, Jizhou governor Han Fu, Beiping prefect Gongsun Zan...

This also made the military force gathered by Suanzao grow almost visibly.

Although the alliance was entirely voluntary, only those who led an army of over 5,000 could be stationed in the Suanzao Stronghold. Even the princes stationed outside could enter to discuss the alliance, but there was no doubt that the princes were divided into two classes.

Those who can enter the great camp are great princes;

Those who stationed alone in the surrounding areas were small princes. (End of this chapter)