The Nameless of the Common Clans

"Ahem~" Xi Zhicai coughed frequently and his face turned pale.

"Is Zhicai okay?" Cao Cao looked at Xi Zhicai worriedly.

"My lord, don't worry." Xi Zhicai took out a porcelain bottle from his arms with some trembling, poured out some medicine powder and swallowed it. His face suddenly became much rosier. He looked at Cao Cao and said, "My lord, although you have established a firm foothold in Dongjun now, it is difficult to compete with Yuan Shao for Jizhou. You should find a place to settle down as soon as possible."

"Where can I settle down?" Cao Cao naturally knew this truth, but now that the fat piece of Jizhou was right in front of him, he also wanted to make a plan.

"My lord, although Jizhou is a good place, most of the gentry in Jizhou are attached to Yuan Shao. My lord is now unable to compete with Yuan Shao, so Jizhou cannot be planned." Xi Zhicai saw Cao Cao's hesitation and persuaded him with a smile: "If you want to establish yourself, you can choose Yanzhou, Qingzhou, and Yuzhou. Although they are four warring places, the princes are now in dispute. If you can survive in the chaos, you will be able to sweep across the Central Plains in the future!"

Now that the two Yuans are powerful, at this time, no matter who the princes in the Central Plains are, they can only be attached to the two Yuans. Although Han Fu is the governor of Jizhou, Yuan Shao can still decide the affairs of Jizhou, and Han Fu's character makes it difficult for Jizhou to stay in Han Fu's hands for long.

It is unwise to plot Jizhou at this time. Instead, it is the best choice to take advantage of the dispute between the two Yuans and rely on Yuan Shao to expand his territory to the Central Plains. Cao Cao actually has few places to choose.

Cao Cao nodded when he heard this. Xi Zhicai's words were actually very obscure, but he heard it. He had to see himself clearly. In this regard, his little brother did a good job. From the beginning, Chen Mo had set his sights on Bingzhou, a place that no one else cared about. Now he has become the lord of Bingzhou and has developed ahead of himself.

Thinking of this, Cao Cao suddenly looked at Xi Zhicai and said, "Zhicai, what do you think Bodao will do next?"

"Bingzhou is a thin land. Although it is important, it is not the foundation for survival. The right general is probably waiting for changes in Guanzhong now." Xi Zhicai said solemnly, "Command the princes in accordance with the emperor!"

Cao Cao silently picked up the bamboo slips and suddenly laughed: "When Dong Zhuo entered the capital, Bodao was actually the most repulsive person to Dong Zhuo, and even contradicted Benchu ​​several times. Would he really do this?"

It seemed like he was asking Xi Zhicai, but it seemed like he was asking and answering himself.

"My lord, times have changed, and people will change. The right general at the beginning was a minister, but now the right general is a king!" Xi Zhicai looked at Cao Cao and said.

Cao Cao nodded, and so did he. Looking at the bamboo slips in his hand, Cao Cao sighed: "It seems that since the last time we parted, Bo Dao and I have finally drifted further and further apart."

Xi Zhicai nodded. He guessed that Chen Mo had this intention, but if there was a chance, he would support Cao Cao without hesitation to seize the emperor. The majesty of the Han Dynasty was no longer there, but the remaining prestige still existed. At this time, for Cao Cao, Chen Mo, Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shu, the royal family was actually more like a banner.

"What do you think the world will look like in the future?" Cao Cao looked at Xi Zhicai and suddenly asked an irrelevant question.

"If the lord can find a foothold as soon as possible and control the emperor, the lord will compete with Yuan Shao for the north." Xi Zhicai said in a deep voice. As for Yuan Shu, according to the strategy set by Xi Zhicai, it is to first use Yuan Shao's power to fight against Yuan Shu, and Cao Cao will replace Yuan Shu's position, and then turn around to deal with Yuan Shao.

"What if I can't get the emperor?" Cao Cao narrowed his eyes. If Chen Mo also wanted to serve the emperor, at least in terms of terrain, Chen Mo had an absolute advantage.

"That would be the situation of the lord, Chen Mo, and Yuan Shao standing in a three-way balance of power!" Xi Zhicai sighed. This was the result he least wanted to see. Unless there was a big change in the world, it would be difficult to break the three-way balance of power. The world might have to return to the pattern of the era of war results.

But this possibility is very high. From Xi Zhicai's understanding of Chen Mo now, this person is not only wise and brave, but also good at both civil and military affairs. The most important thing is that he is quite courageous and decisive. He will not hesitate to act when he recognizes the direction, just like he decisively surrendered to Dong Zhuo at the beginning, and after seeing that Dong Zhuo had no chance of success, he was planning to turn to Guandong. Such a person, if his family background is not considered, is more threatening than Yuan Shao.

This is also the reason why Xi Zhicai repeatedly emphasized the importance of the emperor. Once Chen Mo got the emperor and the land of Guanzhong, the situation of the three-way balance of power north of the Yangtze River would be established.

"So the emperor is crucial?" Cao Cao smiled as he looked at the bamboo slips in his hand.

"Yes, but the lord must first have the strength to fight for it." Xi Zhicai nodded.

Chen Mo is now ahead of Cao Cao and Yuan Shao. He already holds a state. Although Bingzhou is exhausted, it is better than Dongjun or Bohai.

However, in Xi Zhicai's view, this situation is only temporary. Yuan Shao has now started to attack Han Fu, and Cao Cao is also ready to gain a foothold. Once both succeed, the ranking will be reversed. Chen Mo only occupies Bingzhou, and his development potential is not great. He has to develop to the Central Plains through the empty Luoyang and Henei. If he takes Henei, it is equivalent to declaring war on Yuan Shao. If he occupies Luoyang, Yuan Shu may not agree. Therefore, as long as Chen Mo does not make a mistake, he can only consider taking Guanzhong.

But that would have to wait until there was a change in Guanzhong. This would also be Cao Cao's opportunity. As long as Cao Cao had enough strength before the change in Guanzhong, he would have the possibility of competing with Chen Mo for the emperor. As for Guanzhong, he could give it up for now, but the emperor must be in his hands.

"Forget it, it seems that God has destined us to compete on the battlefield. Hey, God is playing tricks on us!" Cao Cao sighed. If he had the place and plan he had today when he was still in Luoyang, he might have been able to get his little brother to help him. Unfortunately, his future was as bleak as Chen Mo's at that time, but now he can't go back. It's futile to think about these things.

"Perhaps, it's also destined that the lord and Chen Mo are the same kind of people, destined not to coexist." Xi Zhicai shook his head and said.

"Maybe, let's not talk about this, let's talk about how to plan." Cao Cao shook his head. The matter of the emperor is still a little far away for the time being. The future is beautiful, but the current situation is a mess. You have to deal with the current mess before you can see the beauty of the future. Your little brother is already looking forward to it, and it's time for you to move.

"The lord already has a foundation in Chenliu. In my opinion, the affairs of Yanzhou can be handled like this..."

...

Hedong, Anyi.

"My Lord, this is the news from Chang'an. Wang Yun has been keeping a low profile recently, even claiming to be ill and not attending the court. But in private, some people have noticed that Wang Yun has a close personal relationship with Dong Zhuo. It seems that he is afraid of being killed by Dong Zhuo and wants to compromise?" Li Qing handed a secret letter to Chen Mo and frowned.

"Although it is also human nature, I don't think things are that simple." Chen Mo looked at the secret letter, thought carefully for a moment, shook his head and smiled: "Wang Yun is not very wise, but if it is about conspiracy and guessing people's hearts, few people can match it. Dong Zhuo seems cruel now, but in fact he has panic in his heart. He is killing to eliminate fear. He is already confused. Once this person is confused, it will be difficult for him to be decisive."

"Then we..." Li Qing looked at Chen Mo and asked.

"Don't do anything for the time being. I often have correspondence with Hua Xiong and Lu Bu. Just wait and see. Don't attract Dong Zhuo's attention." Chen Mo shook his head and smiled.

Dong Zhuo is now like a mad dog, biting whoever he catches. Chen Mo doesn't want to fight Dong Zhuo for no reason at this time. This is not a wise move, and his connections in Guanzhong will also be damaged.

Li Qing is now a counselor group around Chen Mo. He is not in a high position, but he is Chen Mo's confidant. Including Tang Yuan and other scholars from Qingzhou, most of them are now in this group.

These people are not great in wisdom, but everyone has their own strengths. For example, Li Qing is good at numbers and Tang Yuan is good at logistics. These people have their own strengths. They divide the work in Chen Mo's hands clearly. Whenever there is something, they will provide Chen Mo with different suggestions from various angles, and finally Chen Mo will decide.

This is a feature of Chen Mo's power that is different from other powers. Chen Mo has never determined the counselor. One reason is that he is good at planning, and the other point is that Chen Mo can't find the kind of counselor who can stand alone around him, including Man Chong.

Chen Mo can handle the overall situation by himself, and what these counselors have to do is to straighten out all the lines and help Chen Mo find out the gaps.

"My lord, although the grain production in Hedong this year is far higher than in previous years, according to your strategy for Yunzhong, I am afraid that there will not be much left in the end, but there will be a lot more cattle and sheep." Li Qing handed another bamboo slip to Chen Mo.

"Cattle and sheep can also be used as military rations. When fighting, cattle and sheep can save a lot of manpower and help carry supplies. Why not?" Chen Mo smiled when he heard this. He discovered this when he went to Yunzhong. The Hu people rarely had logistics when fighting, and the military rations were all cattle and sheep brought with them, but they would not bring too much. They usually fought for looting, and they would rob wherever they fought. However, Chen Mo could use this method. This method is actually very effective on the battlefield, and the pressure on the grain route will be much less.

"I have never thought of this method." Li Qing smiled and said, "Now that I think about it, it makes sense."

"It has been around for a long time. The Hu people always fight in this way, but we rarely pay attention to them. If we exchange with them, we will definitely not suffer losses. But if we fight with them, even if we win, we will not benefit much. It is better to use this method. Although they are barbarians, they can learn from others' experience. Their knowledge may not be useless." Chen Mo explained with a smile. He disdains to lie about such things.

"It seems that the lord has gained a lot from this trip to Yunzhong." Li Qing smiled while calculating how this method would work.

"Okay, go back and calculate it slowly. It's getting late, go home!" Chen Mo stood up and smiled.

"My lord, I wish you a son soon!" Li Qing said behind Chen Mo.

"Well." Chen Mo waved his hand. This kind of thing is not up to him to decide.