The Horse of the Three Kingdoms Treads the World

() After Sun Jian came out of the barracks, Cao Cao went straight to Yuan Shao's central army tent.At this time, Xiahoudun who was following behind him couldn't help but said: "Meng De, do you really think that you can impress Yuan Benchu ​​with your words and make him agree to send troops?"

"I'm only [-]% to [-]% sure, but up to now, I'm only [-]% sure, and I'm going to try to convince him." While walking non-stop, Cao Cao said, "He Yuan family still has a lot of things. People are trapped in Luoyang, even if Yuan Benchu ​​is not thinking about the court, but the people of the world, he should also think about his own family."

In fact, Cao Cao underestimated Yuan Shao's ambition and heart. In fact, he really wanted to use troops against the Xiliang army immediately. This was not only because his people were in danger in Luoyang, but also because of his own future.So when he heard Cao Cao say in a very dissatisfied and unhappy tone that he wanted him to send troops as soon as possible, he smiled wryly: "Meng De, do you think it's because I don't want to send troops? I can't send troops, that's why I delayed like this .”

"I can't send troops..." Cao Cao frowned, but he already understood what he meant.

Yuan Shao seemed to be afraid that Cao Cao would not understand what he meant, or just to express his feelings, he said again: "Do you think that my leader really has great power? No, in fact, my leader is just a false name. The more than [-] troops I can really control are my own [-] troops. The rest are my brother Yuan Shu's troops. As long as he refuses to take risks, it is difficult for me, the leader, to mobilize any troops. !

"I was able to sit on the position of leader, although I have the prestige factor of the fourth generation and third son of the Yuan family, but the root cause is that those people are not willing to take it. They know very well that if they sit on this position, they will become the sworn enemy of the Xiliang army. If the crusade fails, they may still have the possibility to change course and protect themselves, but I, the leader... hey, can only fight to the death with the people of Xiliang.

"It is precisely because they have left a way out for this that they do not use all their strength when using troops against the Xiliang people. Otherwise, how can a mere Yangcheng block my army for several months? As for the Hulao Pass, it is not I don't want to send troops, it's because they are worried that it will be difficult to retreat after they go, so they have been procrastinating."

Cao Cao quietly listened to Yuan Shao's words. Although he nodded his head appreciatively on the face, he sneered in his heart: "If you have no selfish intentions, how can you be manipulated by them? As long as you, the leader of the alliance, take the lead in attacking, How can these allied troops not move? Aren’t they afraid of being ridiculed by the people of the world and chilling the soldiers under their command? After all, this is the result of your own unwillingness to take risks and only wanting to sacrifice others. Sun Jian’s tragic situation now It is the root cause that makes everyone dare not talk lightly about war!"

In his heart, he was very contemptuous of Yuan Shao's selfishness, but Cao Cao still tried to persuade him on the face: "Brother Benchu, if things go on like this, it's a trivial matter to be ridiculed by the people of the world, and it's a major matter for the soldiers under your command to be cold-hearted. None of us I can guarantee that the Xiliang army will send troops to counterattack at any time. By then, we will be passive, and the responsibility of you, the leader, will be even heavier.

"Also, do you know that I just came from Sun Wentai, and there are many words of departure in his army. If we don't make some changes, I'm afraid he will take people away. And once he leaves, it will inevitably trigger The bigger conflict will be when the hearts of the people will be scattered, and we will no longer be able to fight the Xiliang army. Brother Benchu, please consider the overall situation, and don't make decisions that will make people laugh."

"What? He, Sun Jian, really wants to lead people out of the coalition?" After hearing Cao Cao's words, Yuan Shao's expression became serious.Of course he knew how serious the consequences would be if Sun Jian did this, it would be a fatal blow to the already scattered Kwantung coalition forces, so he naturally didn't want such a thing to happen: "This...how is this good?"

"I have persuaded him before, so they will not leave for the time being. However, if we continue to delay, and if Yuan Gonglu's embezzlement of his army's supplies continues to happen, no one will be able to stop him from leaving. I've made up my mind. So, brother Benchu, please mobilize troops as soon as possible." Cao Cao persuaded again.

Yuan Shao was well aware of his brother's embezzlement of food and grass, but now he could only pretend to be the first to hear about it, and said in surprise: "Yuan Gonglu has done such a thing? This is really unreasonable! Sun Wentai's department lost troops and lost generals in order to seize Yangcheng, but now they can't even achieve basic guarantees. This is indeed too much, and I will definitely pursue this matter."

Immediately, he made a bitter face again: "However, it is not up to me, the leader, to march against Hulaoguan. You must have a few people who are willing to obey the dispatch before you can send troops. How about this?" Is good?"

Cao Cao already had a plan before he was determined to persuade Yuan Shao, so he said: "I will do this matter. Cao Cao is the same as other people, he can only rely on the people under his command to get his status today, and I will persuade them. It might work better."

"Na Shao is here to wait for the good news. As long as Meng De can persuade people from the three or more groups to send troops to Hulao, I will have enough reasons to send the army west!" Yuan Shao said immediately.

"I will do my best!" After Cao Cao cupped his hands, he left.Looking at the back of Cao Cao leaving, Yuan Shao's eyes flashed with an inexplicable light, as if he was calculating something.

?????

Because the Kwantung Allied Forces captured Yangcheng before, which made their momentum stronger than before, so two or three groups of people came to join them not long ago. Among them, Gongsun Zan of Jizhou is the most powerful prince of the group, and there are people under his command There are more than [-] people, and because of his great influence in the north, the princes who came with him all follow his lead, so Cao Cao decided to start with this person, so as to change the current situation of delay.

When he heard that Cao Cao was visiting, Gongsun Zan ordered his younger brother Gongsun Fan to take him into his tent.This Gongsun Zan was in his 40s, and his majestic appearance was in stark contrast to the somewhat short Cao Cao.However, he did not dare to underestimate Cao Cao, one of the eight captains of Xiyuan who was once trusted by the late emperor, and smiled and cupped his hands and said, "Cao Mengde paid a sudden visit, I don't know why."

Cao Cao hurriedly returned the salute, without saying anything polite, and went straight to the point: "I am here to rescue General Gongsun."

"Rescue? What danger is Gongsun Zan in that you asked Meng De to save me?" Gongsun Zan laughed disapprovingly.He is also a Confucian general who has read a lot of poetry and books, and he also knows that in ancient times, some political and horizontal people liked to bluff people with big words, so he felt that Cao Cao also wanted to use such big words to scare himself, so as to gain benefits.

Cao Cao smiled, sat down and said: "Yes or no, the general will understand after listening to me."

"Then please tell me in detail, and I will listen carefully." Gongsun Zan waved someone to bring wine, and then sent out several followers, so that only he, Cao Cao, and another 30-odd person were left in the tent. Aged, with big ears, his appearance is different from that of ordinary people.

Cao Cao had long noticed that this man was very different from ordinary soldiers, and now that he had stayed, he couldn't help but look at him more.Seeing Cao Cao looking at him, the man smiled and gave a salute, saying, "Pingyuan County Magistrate Liu Bei has seen General Cao."

"Liu Bei..." Cao Cao thought about it carefully in his heart, but he didn't remember that there was such a person in the world, so he didn't dwell on it anymore, and returned his attention to Gongsun Zan after a short salute: "Gongsun Zan General, how long do you think this situation can last?"

"This... I'm new here not long ago, but I can't tell." Gongsun Zan knew that he was referring to the situation where they were now confronting the Xiliang army but they had never taken the initiative to attack. He had thought about this before, but There is no conclusion.

"In my opinion, this situation cannot last for too long. But judging from the current situation of our Kwantung Allied Forces, [-]% of the active attacking side is in the Xiliang Army. And once they really use troops against us, Yangcheng is their target. However, the small wall of Yangcheng city is too low to accommodate the tens of thousands of troops stationed there, so when the enemy attacks, General Gongsun and your troops cannot enter the city. , Your troops are about to face the Xiliang army's attack." Because Gongsun Zan's troops came to Yangcheng later, all his troops were stationed outside the city, so Cao Cao said this.

Seeing that Gongsun Zan frowned after hearing what he said, Cao Cao knew that he was a little more confident, and continued: "Although the Jizhou army is not afraid of Xiliang people, the leader of your department will definitely pay a heavy price if he bears the brunt of it." ...And if the people in the surrounding city don't lend a helping hand at this time, I'm afraid the situation of your ministry will be very bad. It is precisely because I foresee this that I came to remind General Gongsun today."

"In your opinion, how can I prevent this from happening?" Gongsun Zan had vaguely guessed Cao Cao's intentions, but asked anyway.

"It's very simple. Ask the lord to fight and take the initiative to attack. As long as our Kwantung coalition forces take the initiative to use troops against the Xiliang people, it will be very difficult for them to attack us. And by then, the general will be among several groups of people, and will never There is a risk of fighting alone."

Gongsun Zan thought for a while, and then said: "Meng De's words do have some truth, but this matter is too important, I have to think about it before deciding."

"So, I will wait for the general to make a decision." Cao Cao cupped his hands and left.

"Xuande, what do you think about this?" After Cao Cao left, Gongsun Zan asked Liu Bei who was beside him, he was still very assured of the talent of this fellow disciple.

"I also don't think this is the way to go. Even if things may not go as Cao Mengde said, it is beneficial for the general to take the initiative to attack at this time. This will make the general's name known to the world, so why not?" Liu Bei thought for a while Afterwards.

"Okay! Since you also think that this is feasible, then I will tell Yuan Benchu ​​that other people will also agree, and my name, Gongsun Zan, will surely be known all over the world!"