Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

The capital of Qingzhou was Linzi.

The moonlight is bright outside the window and everything is quiet.

Cao Cao sat on the couch, looking out the window expressionlessly, his eyes occasionally revealing a hint of sadness and determination.

In this way, Cao Cao sat quietly until dawn, and then he closed his eyes slightly.

However, Cao Cao had been resting in his half-sleep for less than an hour and a half when there was a sudden knock on the door. Cao Cao was startled and sat up straight, his hand subconsciously pressing on the hilt of the sword beside the couch.

"My lord, Master Ang, Xun Biejia, Yang Changshi, Xu Congshi and others have arrived."

Dian Wei's muffled voice came in, and Cao Cao finally relaxed a little.

Immediately, Cao Cao responded in a hoarse voice, pretending to be just waking up from a long sleep.

"I will stand up now."

Then, Cao Cao ordered several of his favorite plump maids to come in and wash him. After he had dressed himself, Cao Cao, under the protection of Dian Wei, walked hurriedly towards the meeting room in the front yard.

At this moment, many people have already taken their seats in the conference hall.

In addition to Cao Cao's confidants such as Cao Ang, Xun Yu, Cheng Yu, and Xun You, there were also two rather prominent foreign ministers, Xu You and Yang Hong.

"I just fell asleep for a while. Sorry for keeping you waiting."

The moment Cao Cao stepped into the conference room, he took the initiative to explain to Xu You and Yang Hong.

This made Xu You, who originally had a bad expression, look a little better, but he still couldn't hide the contempt in his words.

"Why is Ah Man still acting without any sense of propriety like he did when he was young, even delaying important matters?"

Aman?

This nickname, being given so early by Xu You at this moment, was undoubtedly a mockery.

This made Cao Ang, Xun Yu and others sitting in the hall look a little unhappy.

Cao Cao smiled carefree and responded.

"Brother Ziyuan is right. But life is short, so we should drink and sing. I drank a few more cups last night, so I inevitably slept a little longer. Please forgive me."

After receiving Cao Cao's apology again, Xu You looked pleased and stopped nagging him.

After Cao Cao sat down, Xu You waved his hand and said.

"Whether Ah Man is sleepy or not, You should not ask too much, but Ah Man mentioned yesterday that there is something that needs to be discussed. Can you give me an answer today?"

"Of course."

Yang Hong, who came as Yuan Shu's envoy, also spoke at this moment.

"Marquis Wushuang has already agreed. I hope Lord Cao will also give us a quick reply to avoid delaying important matters."

Cao Cao's expression did not change, but a hint of anger appeared in his eyes. However, the expressions of the other people in the conference room were full of dissatisfaction.

Even Xun Yu, who was known as a gentleman, lowered his voice and said.

"You two want to ask my Lord to send troops to defend Xuzhou, or even to lend 30,000 troops to help Yuan Gonglu attack Yanzhou. I'm afraid it's a bit too much to only promise half a county."

"boom!"

Cheng Yu slammed the table, jumped up and cursed.

"You two are probably as shameless as the people at Hulao Pass, right? My lord is not a subject of Yuan Benchu, how dare you two say such shameless things?" Cao Ang said with a sullen face. "My father is the lord of Qingzhou, how dare you bully him like this?"

Listening to the questioning, Xu You still held his chin high and spoke disapprovingly.

"So, Aman means to reject my lord's kindness?"

This statement was almost an explicit threat.

Now, Cao Cao, who is in Qingzhou, is in an awkward situation. To the north is Jizhou, to the south is Xuzhou, and to the west is Yanzhou.

Qingzhou was separated from Yuan Shao's territory by a river, and was barren.

Although Yuan Shao's focus is now on Youzhou in the north and Bingzhou in the west, if Yuan Shao is angered, he will mobilize troops from Ji and Bing states to the south, and Qingzhou will be almost undefendable.

It cannot be said that the strategy that Xun Yu had formulated for Cao Cao was unfeasible, but the changes in reality caught Xun Yu off guard.

Yuan Shu's army was almost completely destroyed in Jingzhou and he was no longer able to move south.

Coupled with the reversal in the Battle of Jie Bridge, Yuan Shao was able to sweep across Ji and Bing states in an instant.

As a result, Lu Bu and Cao Cao did not even have a chance to compete for Yanzhou. The two Yuans took the lead in setting their sights on Yanzhou. The two Yuans even sent envoys at the same time, asking Cao Cao to send troops to guard Xuzhou and lend troops to Yuan Shu.

Cao Cao knew very well that if Yanzhou was captured by Yuan Shu, he would be trapped and die in Qingzhou.

At the same time, Cao Cao was also very clear that this was a test from the Yuan family, a test to confirm whether Cao Cao was willing to be a subject to the Yuan family.

If Cao Cao refused or even showed his intention to fight for Yanzhou, he would be attacked by the Yuan family immediately.

Today, Yuan Shao dominates Hebei, the Battle of Jie Bridge has shocked the world, and he has joined forces with Yuan Shu to face Yanzhou from across the sea. Xu You is not afraid that Cao Cao will not cooperate.

Cao Cao's situation was clearly understood by wise men like Xun Yu, who knew that Cao Cao did not have much bargaining chips when facing such behemoths as the two Yuans.

But Lu Bu gave up Yanzhou on the condition that he would at least give up Nanyang County, a large county with a large population.

Xu You and Yang Hong arrived in Qingzhou together, but the conditions they put forward were extremely harsh. Not only did they want Cao Cao to guard the direction of Xuzhou for Yuan Shu, they even wanted to borrow troops for Yuan Shu to capture Yanzhou.

What is the difference between this and the fact that it was Cao Cao who pursued the beauty, it was Cao Cao who arranged the wedding for the beauty, but it was Yuan Shu who sent her to the bridal chamber in the end?
It's simply too much!
Just when the upright Cao Ang was about to stand up and completely break up with Xu You, Cao Cao suddenly stood up and said with a smile.

"Who is Yuan Benchu? He is my brother! Since this is Benchu's intention, how can I, Cao Cao, refuse? A mere 30,000 soldiers and horses are no problem."

When these words were spoken, everyone in the conference room was shocked.

Cao Ang subconsciously stood up and tried to dissuade him. "Father, this..."

Before Cao Ang could speak, Cao Cao interrupted him with a wave of his hand.

"Don't say too much. Benchu ​​and I are brothers. In the past, Benchu ​​has taken care of me and helped me a lot. Now that the Yuan family is short of soldiers, it is only natural for me to lend you 30,000 soldiers."

At this moment, even Xu You was a little bit unbelievable.

After all, Xu You raised the "price" so high with the intention of asking for a sky-high price and paying back the money on the spot.

The bottom line for the two Yuans is to ensure that Cao Cao does not interfere in the affairs of Yanzhou. It would be best if they could assist the two Yuans in guarding the direction of Xuzhou to prevent Liu Bei from sending troops through Xuzhou to enter Yanzhou to obstruct the Yuan family.

What Xu You never expected was that Cao Cao kept calling him brother and even readily agreed to borrow 30,000 soldiers.

"Aman, are you serious?" Xu You asked without hesitation.

Cao Cao frowned slightly and said.

"Farmers in the countryside know that brothers are the same, and I have been friends with Yuan Benchu ​​for many years. To put it simply, we are brothers. How can a mere 30,000 soldiers and horses be a joke?" (End of this chapter)