People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 209 He is right
"Meng De, after a series of battles, Wei County has withstood the enemy's offensive. The Black Mountain Army's Sui Gu Yu Du and the Xiongnu Yu Fu Luo were all defeated by us. They can no longer accomplish anything great and are no longer a threat.

Li Jue, Guo Si and Zhang Ji are greedy for plunder and show no signs of invading Jizhou, so there is no need to worry.

Only the Black Mountain bandits Bai Rao invaded Yanzhou and defeated Wang Gong, the governor of Dongjun, one after another. They are approaching Puyang City. Dongjun is closely adjacent to our Weijun. If we do nothing about it, it will sooner or later affect us."

Inside the Yecheng government office, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao sat opposite each other. Yuan Shao looked relaxed, drinking and chatting with Cao Cao, as if he was drinking with old friends, and in fact they were indeed old friends.

The reason why the atmosphere is so relaxed is naturally that the war is going in their favor now, otherwise they would not be in the mood to enjoy drinking.

Cao Cao also smiled and drank with Yuan Shao, his expression showing the closeness between good friends, but also maintaining a sense of propriety so as not to be rude.

Even though the two were friends when they were young, things are different now and the innocence they had in their youth can no longer be maintained today.

Yuan Shao was not only Cao Cao's good friend, but also his superior. When working for him, he naturally could not be as unrestrained as his good friend. If he did so, he would be losing his sense of propriety.

Cao Cao understood this principle of life.

Unlike Xu You, who also worked for Yuan Shao, he lacked caution in this regard. Although Xu You also worked under Yuan Shao, he relied on the friendship they had in their youth and often behaved unrestrainedly in front of Yuan Shao, with no sense of distance between superiors and subordinates at all.

Although Yuan Shao had always been tolerant of Xu You, Cao Cao felt that Xu You's temper would sooner or later cause trouble.

Cao Cao put down his wine cup and said with a smile, "Sui Gu and Yu Du are just despicable people, and Yu Fuluo is even more crude and barbaric. They are nothing in front of Brother Benchu. It is natural that they all lost today. As for Dongjun Bairao, as long as Brother Benchu ​​is willing, he can be destroyed with a single move!"

When Cao Cao spoke, although he seemed to be speaking casually, there was an imperceptible light flashing in his eyes.

Then, he lowered his head and poured himself a glass of wine without looking up at all. However, this made it seem as if he was deliberately concealing something. It was not until Yuan Shao said the next sentence that Cao Cao's hand trembled very slightly.

"The situation in Wei County is no longer a concern, but Dong County needs some help. I have an idea about this matter. I want to send Meng De to lead the army to quell the rebellion. I still trust Meng De's ability. Bai Rao can surrender."

After Yuan Shao finished speaking, Cao Cao's eyes suddenly flashed with joy, but then he returned to normal and just smiled and said, "Of course this matter can be resolved. It's just a matter of time. I, Cao Mengde, can definitely deal with it!"

Yuan Shao laughed and raised his cup to drink again. Then, as if remembering something, he shook his head in disdain and said, "Wang Gong, the governor of Dongjun, cannot even subdue a petty thief like Bai Rao. He is truly a mediocre man. How can he be considered a governor?"

Then he put down the wine cup, looked at Meng De again, and said meaningfully: "After Meng De stabilizes Dongjun, I will ask the court to appoint Meng De as the governor of Dongjun. This way, everyone's talents can be put to good use!"

Cao Cao was stunned at first, but then he was moved: "Benchu ​​treats me like this, and lives up to our friendship as a young man. I will never forget my gratitude!"

After hearing Cao Cao's statement, the smile on Yuan Shao's face became even brighter. He has always been very satisfied with his little brother Cao Cao, who is obedient, sensible and capable, and they have an old friendship. Otherwise, this matter would not have happened to Cao Cao.

The person sent to Dongjun must be a trusted confidant, and Cao Cao is undoubtedly the most suitable candidate.

"Yanzhou Governor Liu Dai and I have a very good relationship. After Meng De goes to Dongjun, if necessary, he can follow Liu Dai's orders. But don't worry too much. You are the governor of Dongjun appointed by me, and Liu Dai will naturally know the limits."

"Don't worry, Benchu. I will definitely make friends with Liu Dai when I go to Dongjun, and will not make things difficult for you."

After a conversation, both of them understood each other. One reminded the other who he was, and the other responded to his own affiliation. They all drank and smiled without saying anything.

Of course Cao Cao knew what it meant to take office as Dongjun this time, which was naturally to help Yuan Shao plot to take over Yanzhou.

He could only say that he would fulfill his mission well after he got there, and would occupy Yanzhou no matter what. As for whether he would let you, Yuan Shao, occupy it, that was another matter.

As time passed, Cao Cao, who had once been loyal to the Han Dynasty, had become disheartened when he joined the coalition to fight against Dong Zhuo.

The slogans shouted by various princes were deafening, but when it came to sending troops to attack, everyone hesitated. Only he rushed forward with passion and blood. This charge caused him to break his head and almost die, but it also made him wake up completely.

Loyalty, righteousness and moral principles are all extremely hypocritical things; only interests are the most real.

Since this is the case, people in the world are pursuing interests, so why can't I, Cao Mengde, do the same? There is no need to talk about supporting the Han Dynasty anymore. From now on, the only right thing to do is to plan for my own benefit. I, Cao Cao, may not be unable to become the king with a strong army and horses.

As his ambition grew, Cao Cao had been looking for an opportunity to break away from Yuan Shao and develop on his own. Now that opportunity has finally come, he firmly believes that Dongjun is where he will make his fortune, and if he leaves this time, he will never come back!

The two men talked about the matter and toasted each other, but while Cao Cao was drinking, he also glanced at Yuan Shao calmly through the gap of his sleeves. He knew that he and Yuan Shao, his close friend since childhood, were probably going to drift further and further apart, but this was the way the world was now.

I, Cao Cao, am also a hero. How can I be content with living in your shadow? If I have to stand against you in the future, I will have to use all my strength to defeat you.

Just like arm wrestling when we were young, no one has to give in to the other, the winner is the only thing that matters!

After drinking the wine, the smile in Cao Cao's eyes faded a little. When he was about to say goodbye and go back to prepare things, a doorman handed him a silk letter, which turned out to be a military report.

At present, the war is going on, and military affairs come first. Even if he drinks with Cao Cao, he will not avoid military information. Yuan Shao took the letter and looked at it. His face suddenly changed and became extremely ugly. Then he slammed the letter on the table and said, "Xu Guangtou is a cunning man. He actually took action at this critical moment. Damn it!"

The slamming of the table and the angry words scared Cao Cao so much that he almost dropped the wine glass in his hand.

When Cao Cao came to his senses and realized what Yuan Shao had said, he was also shocked: "The Yellow Turbans of Youzhou are causing trouble too?"

Yuan Shao handed over the silk with a gloomy face. Cao Cao quickly unfolded it and looked at it. Only then did he know what had happened.

While the fierce fighting was raging in Wei County, the Yellow Turbans in Youzhou suddenly assembled an army of 20,000, marched south from Zhuo County into Zhongshan, and now have captured two counties in a row, with an unstoppable momentum!

Then Cao Cao's face turned dark. When he saw this, he knew he couldn't leave.

Sure enough, before Cao Cao could speak, Yuan Shao spoke first: "It seems that the matter of Dongjun should be put aside for the time being. The most urgent task is to stabilize Jizhou first. Our forces are all tied up in Weijun. In this case, we can only let Meng De go north to repel the enemy first, and then we can plan for Dongjun after this matter."

At this time, Cao Cao inexplicably had an urge to kill someone. He finally found an opportunity, but was suddenly ruined by the Yellow Turbans.

But he also knew that he couldn't refuse at this time. Although he was reluctant, he could only agree: "I can lead the troops, but the enemy has 20,000 strong soldiers, and I only have 6,000 to 7,000 troops. How can I repel the enemy?"

Yuan Shao also had a headache. With fires raging on all sides, he felt that his troops were stretched thin.

But Cao Cao's army of six or seven thousand was not enough to fight against the Yellow Turbans. At least they had to be on equal footing in strength, and that meant squeezing out Weijun's military power.

After gritting his teeth, he said, "I will send another general from Hebei, Zhang He, to go north with you to stop the enemy. Together you will have 20,000 troops, and you can recruit troops from various counties to expand your strength. We don't ask to annihilate the invading Yellow Turbans, but at least we must drive them back. We must not let them interfere with our main battlefield!"

With this arrangement, Cao Cao felt more at ease: "Since that's the case, I'll prepare to go on the expedition!"

The Yellow Turbans invaded too suddenly, and Yuan Shao and Cao Cao did not dare to delay and mobilized the army very quickly. The army to fight the bandits was led by Zhang He with more than 10,000 troops, plus Cao Cao's 6,000 to 7,000 troops, a total of nearly 20,000 troops quickly marched north.

Of course, Yuan Shao also had other people accompanying him to assist him in the battle, and that person is now Jizhou Beijia serving Liu Bei.

"I heard that Xuande retreated from Youzhou and had fought with the Yellow Turbans many times. Why don't you tell us about the Yellow Turbans' strengths and weaknesses so that we can have a solid foundation for fighting in the future."

The army moved, Zhang He and Cao Cao drove their horses forward together, and then they went parallel with Liu Bei in the front. Cao Cao immediately asked about the Yellow Turbans.

Everyone knows the truth that knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in every battle. Before fighting, Cao Cao needed to understand the situation of the Yellow Turbans clearly. Although he had heard of the Yellow Turbans in Youzhou a long time ago, this was actually an enemy he was very unfamiliar with.

While speaking, Cao Cao also took another look at the red-faced warrior beside Liu Bei. There was a hidden arrogance in the warrior's stern face.

Liu Bei was not good-looking, but he was able to attract such a hero to follow him. This was an underestimation of him.
When Cao Cao saw this strong man, he was inexplicably happy and couldn't help muttering something in his heart, but these mutterings were soon interrupted by Liu Bei's voice.

"Brother Meng De, you don't know that although the Yellow Turbans of Youzhou are originally bandits, they are good at management and can always ensure that the entire army is fully equipped with weapons and armor. The soldiers are brave in combat and skilled in combat skills. They also have gunpowder weapons to break through the door. Their combat strength is simply unbelievably strong. If Liu Bei were to describe it, only the word "elite" can match it."

When Liu Bei spoke, his face was worried and there was lingering fear in his eyes.

Seeing Liu Bei's expression and words, Cao Cao frowned. Although he had heard about the strength of the Yellow Turbans in Youzhou, it shouldn't be so exaggerated.

Perhaps because he sensed Cao Cao's suspicion, Zhang He added, "He is right."

(End of this chapter)