Soldiers come to the world

Three years later, in the early spring of the twelfth year of Jian'an, a foreign star appeared in the Big Dipper constellation, and people all over the world talked about it. In this year, the monarch must die.

At the beginning of February, news came from Jingzhou that Liu Biao, the shepherd of Jingzhou, was seriously ill and might die soon.

Yecheng, originally the capital of Yuan Shao, Cao Cao moved his capital to Yecheng in order to control Hebei after capturing Yecheng in the ninth year of Jian'an.

The news of Liu Biao's serious illness finally reached Yecheng, and Cao Cao had just returned to Yecheng from Chunyu, and he had awarded more than [-] meritorious officials, which meant that the overall situation in Hebei was settled.

At this time, Cao Cao was thinking about conquering Wuhuan, but the news from Jingzhou disrupted his plan.

Above the lobby of the Prime Minister's Mansion, Cao Cao urgently summoned several confidants to discuss countermeasures for Jingzhou.

At this time, the Yuan brothers in Hebei have been pacified, but hidden dangers still exist. The brothers Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi have not been completely wiped out. They colluded with Wuhuan and tried to use Wuheng's power to regain Hebei.

Cao Cao was going to conquer Wuhuan, but he was unanimously opposed by all the generals. All the generals said that the Yuan brothers were just fugitives, and Wuhuan was a man with no kindness. How could he be used by the Yuan brothers? In the Central Plains, once Liu Bei took the opportunity to attack Xudu, the army would be too late to save him.

There are different opinions, and at this time, an opportunity appeared in the south.

In the lobby, Cao Cao seemed a little restless, pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back. According to his plan, he had to completely calm the troubles in Hebei before he considered going south to Jingzhou. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in Jingzhou.

He couldn't help but took out the letter written by Cai Mao again, "Liu Jingzhou is seriously ill, and the Cai family is in charge of the military power. Mao is willing to dedicate Jingzhou to the prime minister. I hope that Cao Jun will go south as soon as possible, which is no longer a hope." '

Obviously, taking advantage of Cai Mao's power to go south now, Jingzhou can be captured at the least cost.

But if Wuhuan is not destroyed, and the Yuan family is not eliminated, there will be future troubles, so how to choose the best plan that can take care of all three aspects?

Cao Cao cast his eyes on the counselors, and first landed on Cheng Yu. Seeing Cheng Yu smiling and holding a feather fan, he looked confident, so he smiled and said, "Zhong De, let's talk about it first!"

Cheng Yu was the oldest among all the people, but he was the most energetic. His face was flushed and full of energy, which was in stark contrast to Guo Jia beside him.

Cheng Yu smiled slightly, "Since ancient times, the north is strong and the south is weak. Although Liu Biao is seriously ill, it may cause civil strife in Jingzhou, but in my opinion, it doesn't make much sense. Even if Liu Biao is healthy, how can Jingzhou be weak against the north?" On the contrary, Wuheng has hundreds of thousands of cavalry. During Yuan Shao's period, he looked down on Hebei. The Yuan brothers turned to them, but they actually led wolves into the house. There is also Gongsun Kang of Liaodong, who is also an ambitious generation. The prime minister sacrificed the strong and sought the weak. I'm afraid that if you just win Jingzhou and lose Hebei, the gain outweighs the loss!"

Next to Xun Yu also said: "Zhongde is very true. We are not worried about the Yuan brothers, but Wuhuan. Ten years ago, the Wuhuan people took advantage of the chaos in the Central Plains and took the opportunity to kidnap more than [-] Han people. The Yuan brothers reached a conspiracy with them, Wuhuan wanted their children gold and silk, and Yuan wanted the land in Hebei. Once we look south, Wuhuan's iron cavalry will definitely take advantage of the vacancy and sweep Hebei. The prime minister regrets it too late.

And Cai Mao is clearly a flatterer, trying to betray the Lord and seek glory, his words are exaggerated, his so-called military power is just the soldiers of Xiangyang, Nanjun is in the hands of Liu Qi, Jiangxia is occupied by Liu Jing, Changsha is actually controlled by Liu Pan, what about Cai Mao Can you offer Jingzhou?

Why not just wait for their internal strife, and the Prime Minister use this opportunity to conquer Wuhuan, completely stabilize the situation in Hebei, and think about Jingzhou later, maybe Jingzhou is weak, and only a surprise army can occupy Jingzhou, so why bother the Prime Minister? "

Xun Yu is Cao Cao's confidant and adviser, and also a loyal defender of the Han Dynasty. This is a delicate relationship between him and Cao Cao.

This time Cao Cao made great contributions to the meritorious officials, especially valued Xun Yu. Not only did he increase the number of households in Shiyi by a thousand, but he was also named Sangong, which was much higher than other counselors, even Cheng Yu and Guo Jia.

Xun Yu knew that this was not so much a reward from Cao Cao as a temptation from Cao Cao. He was determined not to be rewarded, and declined more than ten times before Cao Cao finally rescinded his decision.

It was Xun Yu who had a special loyalty to the imperial court, so he was extremely firm between Jingzhou and Wu Heng, supporting Cao Cao's conquest of foreign races and opposing the attack on Jingzhou.

Cao Cao understood Xun Yu's thoughts very well, but he didn't say much, and then turned his eyes on Jia Xu who was in the back seat. Seeing that Jia Xu didn't say a word, but his face clearly disagreed, he nodded and smiled. Said: "Wenhe should not always be silent, might as well talk about it."

The four advisers under Cao Cao's account are Xun Yu, Xun You, Guo Jia, and Cheng Yu. Advocate embroidery is still there, so Cao Cao's trust in him is slightly insufficient.

However, although Jia Xu can't compare with the four great advisers, he is familiar with Jingzhou and participated in the Battle of Xinye in the seventh year of Jian'an. It happened that Xun You went to Xudu to urge food, so Cao Cao called Jia Xu to discuss military affairs. Xun You's position.

Jia Xu has self-knowledge, he knows that his qualifications are not enough to join the core decision-making circle, especially after Xinye was defeated, he felt ashamed, so he has been very low-key in recent years, and generally does not participate in military decision-making. Try not to express an opinion.

But at this time, Cao Cao called him by name and implicitly criticized him for always being silent. Jia Xu had no choice but to get up and said, "I'm afraid the prime minister's decision-making will be misunderstood, so I dare not speak."

"Wen He's words are wrong. What can I not listen to? Let's talk about it."

Jia Xu had no choice but to bite the bullet and said: "The situation in Jingzhou is not as simple as we thought. Brothers Liu Qi and Liu Cong are cowardly and incompetent. Cai Mao doesn't need to take it seriously. I am worried that it is Liu Jing and Liu Bei. Make great efforts to govern, have enough soldiers and food, and reconcile with Jiangdong.

However, Liu Bei was ambitious and secretly assisted Liu Qi. Sooner or later, he would annex the soldiers of Nanjun. If the prime minister didn't plan early, he would be overthrown by these two people. Coupled with the Jiangdong alliance, it would not be so easy to attack Jingzhou at that time. "

Jia Xu's words struck a chord in Cao Cao's heart, and that was Liu Jing. Cao Cao never imagined that the young man who escaped from the rebellious army would become the most powerful force in Jingzhou five or six years after entering Jingzhou.

He got information from Jingzhou that Liu Jing already had 8000 elite soldiers and 500 warships, including [-] elite cavalry and a [-]-man heavy armored infantry.

Although Liu Qi had an army of [-] troops, his combat power was not as good as Liu Jing's. However, Guan Yu and his son trained troops for Liu Qi, and the Nanjun army should not be underestimated.

What Jia Xu said is also right, once the opportunity is lost, it will not be so easy to let Liu Jing and Liu Bei take the lead, and it will not be so easy to fight Jingzhou again.

This made Cao Cao feel a little more tangled in his heart. At this time, Cao Cao felt that Jia Xu hadn't fully said, as if there was something left to say.

He glanced at Cheng Yu and found that there was obvious displeasure in Cheng Yu's eyes. He suddenly understood in his heart that Jia Xu probably didn't want to have conflicts with Cheng Yu, Xun Yu and others.

Cao Cao nodded and said with a smile to everyone: "Let me think about this matter, everyone go back first!"

Everyone got up to leave one after another, Cao Cao waited for the crowd to disperse, and quietly ordered the guards to find Guo Jia and Jia Xu.

In the study, Guo Jia and Jia Xu sat down one after another. Guo Jia did not speak in the lobby today. This is related to his weakness. Guo Jia fell ill since last winter. Although he has improved slightly, he still has not recovered, and his body is very weak. .

Jia Xu seemed to understand the intention of the prime minister looking for him, he sat aside smiling and said nothing.

At this time, Cao Cao first asked Guo Jia, "Feng Xiao thinks that Wuhuan should be conquered first, or Jingzhou first?"

Guo Jia smiled slightly and said, "Prime Minister wants to conquer Jingzhou, may I ask how many soldiers are there who are good at water warfare?"

This sentence stopped Cao Cao. The northerners are not good at water warfare. Once Liu Jing fights away from the river, I am afraid that no amount of troops will help.

Guo Jia continued: "If a worker wants to do a good job, he must first sharpen his weapon. The prime minister going south is not as simple as dealing with the Jingzhou family. As Wen He said, Liu Jing and Jiangdong have a good relationship, and we are very likely to meet Sun Liu. The coalition forces, in this case, if they rush to the south, the outcome is uncertain, and my subordinates suggest that it is better to take a long-term plan for the south."

After pondering for a while, Cao Cao sighed and said, "All the generals disagree with the Northern Expedition to Wuhuan, what's the matter!"

Guo Jia said indifferently: "The generals are just exhausted from the battle, and they don't want to go on an expedition. In fact, the prime minister doesn't need to spend money and food to go out on a large scale. His subordinates heard that Yi County has a lot of food and grass. Yi County can be used as a logistics center. Soldiers are expensive and fast. Prime Minister He could lead a small army to attack thousands of miles away, and he was caught off guard when he beat Wuhuan. His subordinates recommended Tian Chou as a guide to the Prime Minister. This person is familiar with the terrain of Wuheng. Drill the navy and go south to Jingzhou early next year."

Cao Cao nodded silently. Guo Jia's suggestion touched his heart. This is called strategizing and decisive victory thousands of miles away.

After pondering for a long time, Cao Cao asked another thing that worried him, "But will Liu Bei take this opportunity to attack Xu Du?"

Guo Jia sneered and said: "With Liu Bei's own strength, it is purely a dream to attack Xu Du, unless he can persuade Liu Biao, but Liu Jingzhou refused to leave Jingzhou when he was in good health. The army is dispatched abroad, and Xiangyang is empty of troops, what should Nanjun and Jiangxia do if they take the opportunity to attack Xiangyang? The prime minister doesn’t even need to consider the possibility of a surprise attack on Xudu.”

At this time, Jia Xu interjected next to him: "Liu Biao doesn't know how to do it, but Liu Jing can't tell. The military commander, don't forget that he has two thousand cavalry in his hands. It is said that they are all elite Hexi war horses. From Xiakou to the north, all the way Pingyuan, Xuchang can be reached in three days.”

Guo Jia's complexion changed, and he turned to Jia Xu and said, "As long as you are more vigilant along the way and defend in time, there is no point in the cavalry coming. They can't break through Xuchang City. Besides, Liu Biao is seriously ill. Liu Jing's mind should be in Xiangyang, and he won't take Xuchang into account. Du, even Liu Bei would not think about Xu Du, Wen He is too worried."

Jia Xu still shook his head, "It's because the military adviser doesn't understand Liu Jing. His thoughts are not in Xiangyang, but in the world. The military adviser really underestimated this person."

"Wen He misunderstood. I am not underestimating this person. It is really a trivial matter to attack Xudu, but a big one to conquer Wuhuan. How can we abolish the big because of the small?"

"I didn't misunderstand. Feng Xiao underestimated the surprise attack on Xudu. Even if Xudu can't be taken down, how about taking down Chenliu? Or taking down Luoyang, when Liu Jing raises his arms, he is afraid that the Central Plains will shake and the morale of the army will be unstable. , There are even those who are dissatisfied with the prime minister and take the opportunity to stir up trouble, causing the Central Plains to fall into war again."

Cao Cao saw that the two disagreed, so he smiled and said: "Don't argue, each has his own reasons, please continue to talk."

The implication was to ask Jia Xu not to interrupt Guo Jia for the time being. Jia Xu sneered in his heart and said no more. He found that neither Cheng Yu, Xun Yu, nor Guo Jia took Liu Jing seriously, and they all meant to despise Liu Jing. The prime minister valued this person very much.

Guo Jia also realized the seriousness of the problem. He pondered for a moment and said, "Maybe we can increase our troops in Nanyang to contain the army of Jingzhou, including Liu Jing. If the situation is critical, we can directly bypass Xinye and capture Fancheng. Liu Biao will definitely ask Liu Qi and Liu Jing for help, so everyone will be safe!"

Cao Cao nodded, then asked Jia Xu, "What does Wen He think?"

Jia Xu pondered for a moment and said, "It's okay to take down Fancheng, I agree with the strategy of filial piety!"

"it is good!"

Cao Cao generously agreed, and said to Guo Jia: "I ordered Cao Ren to be the chief general, Li Dian and Yu Jin to be the deputy generals, and Le Jin to be the vanguard. An additional 30 troops will be sent to Nanyang. When the work is finished, what do you think of Fengxiao?"

Guo Jia smiled, "Martial arts are enough, what's missing is Wen Ji!"

Cao Cao suddenly realized, and looked at Jia Xu with a smile. Jia Xu understood Cao Cao's meaning in his heart, so he bowed and said, "I am willing to serve the prime minister!"

Cao Cao nodded, "Wen He can join the army as a general and assist Cao Ren. If he can restrain Liu Jing's cavalry from going north, it will be a great achievement."

"The minister obeys the order!"

When Jia Xu retreated, only Guo Jia and Cao Cao were left in the room. Guo Jia said to Cao Cao in a low voice: "If the prime minister wants to attack Liu Biao, there must be some changes in the court. The subordinates suggest that we should clean up the court program before discussing the south. A matter of levy."

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes and nodded slowly. He knew in his heart that Jingzhou was the last hope of many people in the court, and he really needed to make an example of others.

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