Chapter 129: Take Liu Bei's Road, Let Xuande Have Nowhere to Go
"You are here just in time... Let's hear this strategy for governing Xuzhou."
Seeing Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Xia Houyuan, Xi Zhicai and Xun You step into the tent, Cao Cao's smile faded slightly and he said seriously.
"I plan to select talented celebrities from Dongguan County, Langya County, Donghai County, and Pengcheng County as county governors. In addition, I will set up a special supervisory agency to select those who can convince the public from among the common people to perform supervisory tasks."
At this point, Cao Cao paused and continued.
"As for the local Xuzhou soldiers, they are all handed over to their original generals, that is, those generals who came out of Danyang. In this way, the three are independent of each other, do not participate in each other, and check and balance each other. Whenever there are important matters, they will report directly to me, Cao Cao.
, the so-called Xuzhou people govern Xuzhou is also the so-called three-legged system!"
Hiss... Cao Cao blurted out his words, while Cao Ren, Cao Hong, and Xia Houyuan were still thinking.
Xi Zhicai and Xun You were eye-catching.
The two of them are extremely smart. From Cao Cao's words, you can't find the key point. The core of Xuzhou people's governance of Xuzhou...is nothing more than the word "checks and balances". If they check and balance each other, Cao Cao will benefit.
"Ming Gong, this plan is very clever..." Xi Zhicai blurted out after thinking for a moment.
Although it has not been put into practice yet, this method has almost penetrated the hearts of the Xuzhou Gang, and Xi Zhicai feels that it is extremely feasible.
However, Xi Zhicai was keenly aware that something seemed to be missing. He did not rush to ask, but asked a question first.
"Ming Gong, is this Wen Ruo's letter from Yanzhou?"
It is said to be Xun Yu's letter, but everyone's mind is like a mirror. According to Xun Yu's character, they will definitely discuss it with Lu Yu.
And this kind of strategy of trying to figure out the enemy's heart is quite consistent with Lu Yu's style.
"That's right, Wen Ruo's letter summarizes it well, and Lu Yu's ability to figure out this plan shows that his insight is amazing..." Cao Cao couldn't help but praise. "The cooperation between the two of them is wonderful!"
call…
Xi Zhicai breathed softly. "Ming Gong, but... this plan is brilliant, but there is only one missing piece."
Hmm...Cao Cao raised his head. "Zhicai might as well speak out."
"Pengcheng!" Xi Zhicai pointed out. "There is no problem if other cities act like this, but Pengcheng is different. Xiapi City, which is directly adjacent to Pengcheng, has not been taken back into our hands. Therefore, in addition to autonomy, Pengcheng must also add another one!
"
"Garrison." Cao Cao immediately understood...
Garrison is exactly what garrison is.
Of course, this garrison does not violate the general strategy of the Xuzhou people to govern Xuzhou. It only sends a trusted general to garrison outside the city and does not interfere with the governance of Pengcheng. It only responds to emergencies and only resists the invasion of Xiapi City.
By the way, it can also have a certain degree of psychological implications for Pengcheng, Dongguan County, Donghai County, and Langya County, so that they will always remember that the master here is Cao Cao!
After thinking about this, "Hahahaha"...Cao Cao laughed happily again.
The so-called finishing touch... Xi Zhicai's addition is tantamount to the finishing touch in Lu Yu's strategy.
He patted Xi Zhicai on the shoulder. "Zhicai, I take back what I just said. Hahaha, Xun Sima, Lu Gongcao and you, Xi Zhicai, the strategy that the three of you work out together complements each other and is perfect."
, with you here, our Cao army will be invincible! Hahahaha..."
The laughter that shook the rubble resounded throughout the camp again.
Cao Cao never hesitated to praise him...
At this moment, he is really happy... From the old days when he was a watchdog who relied on his big brother Yuan Shao to help him guard the south gate, he has now become a man who spans two states, with a hundred thousand elite soldiers under his command, and a cloud of advisers.
The princes of one side.
Looking back on this journey, it has not been easy.
But when it comes to the current situation, it's no wonder that Cao Cao is filled with joy!
And the source of all this, didn't it start from Yinlin... ah no, it started from Yu'er's mention of taking over Yanzhou.
Haha, no, everything is fine.
Cao Cao was laughing, Xi Zhicai was laughing, and Xun You, who had seen everything but didn't speak clearly, was also laughing. It seemed that... he was slowly figuring out the subtlety of Xia Houyuan here. Cao Ren and Cao Ren also nodded frequently.
Only Cao Hong didn't understand what the point of these people's laughter was? He immediately hit his head... He couldn't understand, what a hammer to laugh?
Having said so much, not a word is related to the main topic. Should we attack or retain Picheng? Should we border with Yuan Shu? This... this problem has not been solved yet? What's so ridiculous?
With this in mind, Cao Hong said: "Brother, why are you laughing so much? This... can we attack Pi City now?"
ah…
After being reminded by Cao Hong, everyone realized that the problem of governing the four counties of Xuzhou was solved, but there was still another problem, the problem of whether to attack Xiapi City or not. How to solve this...
And Xun Yu and Lu Yu, who can offer strategies to defend the city...do their letters contain any strategies to break the situation?
Immediately, everyone looked at Cao Cao...Cao Cao said calmly.
"Haha, this is actually easier to handle. According to rumors, Tao Qian, the shepherd of Xuzhou, has been seriously ill, and it will probably only last a few days. As expected, the game between Liu Bei and the pottery merchant, the son of the governor of Xu, is about to begin during this period, and the pottery merchant
How could he be Liu Bei's opponent? Now it seems like Picheng should change his surname to Liu, haha...haha..."
Ah...ah?
Hearing this, Cao Hong scratched his head again. There was nothing wrong with what his elder brother Cao Cao said. Liu Bei took control of Xiapi City... anyone with a discerning eye can see this.
But, what are you laughing at?
Is this a good thing?
Some time ago, the eldest brother blew Liu Bei to the sky. Now that Liu Bei has picked up two more cities for nothing, he will become stronger all at once. What if he becomes a serious problem for the eldest brother in the future?
Cao Hong was about to ask all the doubts in his heart, but Cao Cao's words beat him to it.
And it was this sentence that shocked everyone present like a bolt from the blue.
"I plan to follow the strategy discussed by Lu Gongcao and Xun Sima and personally submit a letter to the imperial court to invite the emperor to appoint Liu Bei as the governor of Xiapi City and Guan Yu as the governor of Guangling County. At the same time, I will also make a copy of this memorial document and send it to Liu Bei.
, Haha... This must be a huge surprise for him!"
Hiss... Hearing this, Xi Zhicai and Xun You narrowed their eyes slightly, trying to figure out what Cao Cao said.
What did Cao Cao mean...or Lu Yu and Xun Yu meant to hand over Xiapi City and Guangling County to Liu Bei?
Is it determined that Liu Bei will be the buffer zone between Cao Gong and Yuan Shu?
Of course, it is also beneficial to write to the court to report Liu Bei as the governor of Xiapi, because Cao Gong once again occupied Zhengyi. If Liu Bei counterattacked Cao Gong, then he would have betrayed his trust and lost the hearts of the people.
According to Liu Bei's style of doing things, he would rather lose the city than lose the hearts of the people.
But...why did Duke Cao suddenly feel relieved about Liu Bei?
Before, weren't we worried about Liu Bei's tigers entering the mountains and dragons entering the sea? Now...
Both Xi Zhicai and Xun You were a little puzzled.
...Cao Cao could see the doubts in their hearts at a glance.
He patted the shoulders of the two of them. "Zhicai, Gongda, don't worry. It's so troublesome for us to govern the four counties of Xuzhou, let alone Liu Bei? The people of Xuzhou govern Xuzhou, and the people of Xuzhou control the people of Xuzhou."
?Can Liu Bei do it? Does Liu Bei dare? Hahaha..."
Speaking of this, Cao Cao smiled happily. He tried to imitate the tone of Lu Yu's letter and said: "It's not that I despise Liu Bei. The water in Pi City is much deeper than that of our four cities and counties. The three forces are intricate. He
Liu Bei can't control it! Haha..."
In short, Cao Cao laughed again.
While laughing, he continued: "Let Liu Bei be our guard dog in the southern border of Xuzhou!"
As he said this, Cao Cao murmured in his heart.
Who hasn’t been made from Watch Dogs?
It's just... Cao Cao's luck lies in having Yinlin... Oh no, Cao Cao's luck lies in the fact that he planted a plant sixteen years ago. Last year, the plant sprouted!
Haha, to put it bluntly, Cao Cao has the help of his own son who has every plan, but what does Liu Bei have?
Can God still give him an illegitimate son who can see the overall situation and plan a successful route?
Ha ha…
"Zixiao..."
"The end will be here."
"I will give you 30,000 soldiers and horses to set up camp near Pengcheng. You don't need to interfere with the governance of Pengcheng. You only need to keep an eye on Xiapi City and keep an eye on Liu Bei and Yuan Shu!"
"The last general takes orders..."
"Instruct the three armies to return to Yanzhou tomorrow. We have made a triumphant return!"
Thinking of this, Cao Cao's eyes became a little sharper in vain. Triumphant... It also means that it is time to deal with the despicable villain who sneaked into Yanzhou, right?
…
…
Xuzhou, Xiapi City, above the city head.
At Cao's camp, the voices of Ming Jin and his troops were heard one after another, and Cao's army was retreating rapidly.
It's just that the momentum of this retreat is a bit weird... Logically speaking, other people's retreats are dejected, but Cao Ying's retreat... was with heads held high, and even... there were drums beating, with great momentum, just like attacking a city.
This scene really made Liu Bei happy at the top of the city...
"As expected of Cao Mengde..."
He sighed helplessly.
The reason why I feel sad is not because Cao Jun retreated and Liu Bei felt empty.
Rather, it comes from a letter that Cao Cao sent an envoy to Xiapi City and handed it to Liu Bei.
Here he threatened - "Tao Xuzhou's time is short, Cao has avenged his great revenge, and has no intention of going to Pi. The two counties of Guangling hereby withdraw their troops. The name of Xuande's benevolence and righteousness is spread all over the world. Cao immediately petitions the imperial court to ask the emperor to grant Xuande
De is the prefect of Xiapi and the prefect of Guangling in Yunchang. Xuande does not need to express his gratitude. If you are well, it will be a sunny day!"
Still...yet...if you are well, it will be a sunny day!
The letter was not long and not very lethal, but it was too insulting... Liu Bei soon realized that he had been tricked by Cao Cao.
"I#%[email protected]!"
If he hadn't been worried about his character, Liu Bei would have really wanted to curse.
Damage, negative damage, not only negative damage, but also absolute...
Cao Cao is going his own way, leaving Liu Bei with nowhere to go.
"Lord? Why did your face suddenly change? Then Cao Cao reported to the court that your lord will be the prefect of Xiapi City, and General Yunchang will be the prefect of Guangling... Isn't this good? It will save us a lot of effort..."
Mi Zhu, who was beside Liu Bei, asked doubtfully...
He couldn't figure it out, this was a great thing... It seemed like there was no need to look so ugly, right?
Moreover, Cao Cao has always maintained a good relationship with the imperial court. Ever since the emperor moved the capital to Chang'an and Li Jue and Guo Si took control of the imperial court, Cao Cao was the only one who took the initiative to send envoys to meet the emperor!
Li Jue and Guo Si felt that Cao Cao was a very wise man and actually allowed his envoys to communicate with the imperial court...
Cao Cao also benefited from this. Previously, his Yanzhou shepherd was elected by the people, which was morally untenable. But after Cao Cao's envoys had frequent contacts with the court, the emperor issued an edict to give Cao Cao the Yanzhou shepherd. Suddenly, it was justified.
.
Therefore, this time... Cao Cao wrote to the court to declare Liu Bei to be the governor of Xiapi City. In Mi Zhu's view, this was a great thing. He took over Xiapi City in a legitimate and legitimate manner. Didn't this save a lot of trouble?
"Alas..." Who knew, Liu Bei sighed again. "Zizhong, how did you know that this small memorial letter from Cao Cao could almost kill me, Liu Bei!"
Ah...ah...
Mi Zhu was shocked, this...
Before he could ask, "Ahem!" Liu Bei coughed slightly and continued to explain. "Just imagine, Cao Mengde recommended me as the prefect of Xiapi City. If the imperial court issued an edict and really granted me the prefect of Xiapi City, then
…Do I receive it or don’t I?”
"Why not?" Mi Zhu asked anxiously.
"As long as I accept this edict, everyone in the world will know that it was Cao Cao who helped me first and recommended me. At that time, I was sitting in Xiapi, how could I counterattack Pengcheng? Donghai County, Langya County, Dongguan County?
Not to mention a counterattack, even if we break with Cao Cao, everyone in the world will poke me, Liu Bei, in the back...and I..."
At this point, "Alas..." Liu Bei sighed again. "In troubled times, I, Liu Bei, can only stand on benevolence and righteousness. How can I betray Cao Cao and betray my righteousness to the world in order to counterattack Xuzhou!"
"Haha... Instead of saying that Cao Cao appealed to the emperor to get me the governor of Xiapi and Guangling, it would be better to say... he petitioned the imperial court to get Cao Cao the pastor of Xuzhou! I won't attack Xuzhou, Xuzhou is as stable as Mount Tai.
Cao Cao's true 'Xuzhou Shepherd' is much more important than a false name!"
He was so frightened that Mi Zhu's face turned pale.
"What a...what a sinister trick!"
"Hmph." With a cold snort, Liu Bei clenched his fists and smashed the city wall helplessly. "Cao Cao has used this strategy of attacking the enemy's heart a lot in the past two years..."
Although he said this, what Liu Bei coveted in his heart was the so-called "master" and "capable man" under Cao Cao!
"But... fortunately, my lord no longer has to worry about Cao Cao. In this way, the chance of winning in the game with Mr. Tao Shang will undoubtedly be much greater..." Mi Zhu's words were considered as comfort.
"Master Tao Shang?" Liu Bei shook his head. "I have never regarded him as a real opponent... It's just..."
When he said this, Liu Bei stumbled. "It's just that from now on when we go to Pi City, Guangling County will not be able to live in peace..."
The reason for saying this is that Liu Bei realized the two crises before him.
The first is a game with Tao Shang, the son of Governor Xu. Although Tao Shang is not difficult to deal with, he still has a loyal Danyang army under his command, as well as Cao Bao, the general of Danyang army...
It was easy for Xuzhou soldiers to instigate rebellion, but it was difficult for Danyang soldiers to instigate rebellion...Cao Bao also did not surrender military power so easily.
What's more, in addition to the common people's faction supporting him, Liu Bei, the celebrity faction has always maintained a delicate neutral relationship, which... also makes Liu Bei worried.
The second path is Yuan Shu. If Liu Bei doesn't counterattack Xuzhou, then... in Yuan Shu's view, the enemy's friends are the enemy.
Yuan Shu is known as the "Huainan King of Destruction". He is not a fuel-efficient lamp. Friction with him is inevitable!
Even though he picked up two cities in vain, he will still have to fight Yuan Shu for a long time in the future... It is not an exaggeration to say that Liu Bei is caught between the two princes in order to survive.
Even if it's not good, Liu Bei may lose his head at any time.
"Alas..." He sighed helplessly. This time, Liu Bei felt that he had been completely tricked.
I just don’t know, is it Cao Cao who puts him in this position? Or is he the master behind the curtain?
Just when Liu Bei sighed...
"Big brother, big brother..."
The sound of rapid footsteps came from the city stairs. When I turned around, it was not Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun who came here. Who else could it be?
Seeing Liu Bei, Zhang Fei shouted hurriedly.
"Brother, the old man Tao Qian called you over again. I heard that he is dying. This time he will probably give it to his brother Xuzhou! Brother, you must not give in again this time."
In Zhang Fei's eyes, Liu Bei had already given in to Xuzhou twice before... once and twice, not again and again!
However, Zhang Fei didn't know that the time was not yet ripe at that time. If Xuzhou was not allowed, Liu Bei would not have much chance of winning in the game with the pottery merchants.
But now the situation is different. With the help of the Commoner Faction, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu have almost completely taken over the Xuzhou soldiers. Although the Danyang soldiers are brave, their numbers are not enough to pose a threat. In addition, the Mingshi Faction... is maintaining neutrality.
The chips now are...enough, it's time to plan for Xiapi City!
"Where is Mr. Potter?" Liu Bei was not impatient. Instead, he asked the potter first.
"He is also with Tao Xuzhou..." Guan Yu reminded.
"Okay!" Liu Bei nodded. He first closed his eyes and exhaled softly, and then slowly opened his eyes. There was a little more sharpness and edge in his eyes.
——"Second brother, select five hundred soldiers. You will stay outside the house. If there is any movement, break in immediately."
——"Third brother, you lead the troops to surround the government office. No sound of wind can be heard inside, and no bird can fly out."
——"Zilong, come with me to see Tao Xuzhou!"
It is rare for Liu Bei to act so resolutely.
His eyes were still condensed and his eyes were piercing. "You must remember that if the pottery doesn't take action, you are not allowed to take action. If the pottery makes trouble for me first, you don't need to! You're welcome!"
When mentioning the last four words "no need" and "you're welcome", Liu Bei deliberately emphasized his tone.
Previously, Tao Qian gave Xuzhou two concessions, but Liu Bei did not dare to take it.
But this time, whether Tao Qian gives in to Xuzhou or not, Liu Bei is determined.
"Everything goes according to plan!"
"Brother, don't worry!" Everyone handed over their hands and went to do it quickly!
The small city of Xiapi suddenly became turbulent and murderous...