In order to prevent Zhao Shuang from being detained by the shady Sun Shiwan, He Yan even wrote a letter to Liu Ye, asking him to pay close attention and bring him back safely and intact.
Come to Xuchang.
The structure of the seven courtyards of Hewu is slowly being set up. Cao Cao also ended the Battle of Cangting and finally returned to Xuchang.
The first thing Cao Cao did when he returned to Xuchang from an expedition on weekdays was to go to the palace to return his orders to Liu Xie.
But this time, Cao Cao changed his past practice and locked himself directly in Sikong Mansion.
It's not that Cao Cao is distracted, but because he has more important things to do than those hypocritical political etiquette.
"Yulang, come here!"
That's right, the first person Cao Cao met when he came back this time was actually He Yan.
Even before Cao Cao entered Xuchang, his letter had already arrived at Hewu and called He Yan to Sikong Mansion.
Cao Cao had not yet taken off his armor. When He Yan stepped forward, Cao Cao grabbed He Yan's shoulders and stared at He Yan with complicated eyes.
"Liu Bei, is he really dead?"
"Really dead."
He Yan nodded.
"Haier personally buried him near Xinye. There will be no more accidents."
Cao Cao pursed his lips, not knowing how to respond to He Yan in front of him.
"I heard from Yuan Rang that you captured Liu Bei alive at that time. Why didn't you send him to Xuchang?"
"If the child sends Liu Bei to Xuchang, will his father kill Liu Bei?"
Cao Cao was stunned.
"My father must know better than me what kind of person Liu Bei is."
He Yan expressed his reasons without any concealment: "If Liu Bei is as determined as Liu Bei, if he is left in Xuchang, no one knows how much trouble he will cause."
"Among other things, if my father goes on an expedition to Hebei in the future and Liu Bei joins the emperor in Xuchang to control Yuzhou, it will be a disaster for my father! At the same time, if such a situation really happens, it will be unfair to the civil and military forces under my father's command."
"Letting Liu Bei die on the battlefield is actually the best destination for him... Of course, if the father is angry because the child makes his own decisions, the child is willing to be punished!"
He Yan is completely a piece of meat now.
Anyway, he had already killed the person, and it was impossible for Cao Cao to really kill himself and bury him with Liu Bei.
As for other punishments...it will pass if you endure it for a while!
But after hearing He Yan's statement, Cao Cao did not get angry. Instead, he lowered his eyes slightly, otherwise He Yan could see the various fluctuations in his eyes.
"Where are you talking about Yulang?"
Cao Cao was obviously laughing heartily, but He Yan could still tell at a glance that Cao Cao's smile was far-fetched.
"Liu Bei has repeatedly opposed his father and caused unrest in all directions. He is Cao Cao's enemy! How can there be any reason to punish one of his own just because he killed his enemy?"
Cao Cao concealed his emotions very quickly, so quickly that He Yan almost thought that Cao Cao really thought so.
but……
If Cao Cao really thought this way, why would the first thing he did when he returned to Xuchang be to see He Yan and ask He Yan about Liu Bei?
He Yan listened quietly to what Cao Cao said and did not interrupt rashly.
The relationship between Cao Cao and Liu Bei is far beyond what a junior like me can understand, so naturally there is no He Yan to comfort Cao Cao.
If there is anyone in the world who can really comfort Cao Cao's current mood, it is probably the second master Guan who is still in trouble.
"Yulang, you just said that the expedition to Hebei was a bit frivolous. Remember, don't be so eager for quick success!"
Cao Cao tried to change the topic elsewhere.
"Although my father has just captured Cangting, Yuan Shao's power in Hebei has not been damaged! And since the Battle of Guandu, Yuan Benchu's methods have become much more radical."
"As far as I know, he has liquidated many aristocratic families in Hebei within this year. Once he recovers, he will definitely become an even more terrifying enemy! Facing Benchu in the next few years, I am afraid that as a father he will still be
We need to focus on defense!”
After hearing Cao Cao's blunt change of subject, He Yan did not expose Cao Cao, but walked down the steps given by Cao Cao.
"Father, there is no need to worry too much."
"Those aristocratic families in Hebei are not soft persimmons. Although they lost a lot of strength in the Battle of Guandu, and even Jushou and Tian Feng were captured by our army, Zhang Yan's forces entrenched in the Taihang Mountains are not
It's easy to deal with. If Yuan Shao doesn't completely surrender all this military power, he won't dare to go south."
Cao Cao nodded as if in agreement, and said with some relief: "Yu Lang is seeing things more and more comprehensively, and his analysis of Yuan Shao is not bad... But things in the world are unpredictable, so you must not just talk on paper, but discuss things on the ground."
"Kid, remember!"
It is true that things are unpredictable.
Who would have thought that the overlord Yuan Benzhu, who is now reborn from the ashes, would unexpectedly die of illness next year...
When Yuan Shao died, the situation in the north was basically settled.
Thinking of this, He Yan looked up with some distress and looked at the wrinkles on Cao Cao's face.
Yuan Shao's death was, like the death of Liu Bei, very good news for Cao Cao's forces.
But for Cao Cao, one by one his old friends passed away before him, leaving Cao Cao increasingly lonely on the road to completing his great cause.
At such a price, even Cao Cao, who is known as the "hero", will inevitably feel a chill in his heart, right?
"Father, General Guan is currently in the mansion you gave him as a gift. Do you want to go see him?"
Cloud length?
When he heard this name, one could clearly see Cao Cao's brows relaxing, and even the tense face facing He Yan showed some tender nostalgia.
"There's no rush. Just let Yunchang calm down for the next two days. After all, Liu Bei's death makes him feel more uncomfortable than anyone else."
He Yan originally thought that as soon as Cao Cao heard about Guan Yu, he would immediately go over and lick him, but unexpectedly, Cao Cao actually held back?
Not only that.
Even the crack in Cao Cao's mask that Guan Yu had just pried open was sewn back by Cao Cao at an extremely fast speed, making it impossible for anyone to notice the slightest difference.
"It's you, Yulang."
Cao Cao actually had the intention to joke with He Yan: "When Yun Chang and Zhang Fei saw you, didn't they tear you apart?"
He Yan immediately showed a pitiful expression: "I was indeed almost torn apart by them! If it weren't for Zhao Yun's incident, they would probably not want to see me until now!"
"Why are you involved with Zhao Yun again?"
When He Yan told Cao Cao about the blood transfusion, Cao Cao was also shocked.
"Xinxue's medical skills have actually reached this point? And you can actually force Liu Xie to issue an edict to give Xinxue a platform?"
The strong rise of Xinxue shocked even Cao Cao, and Cao Cao truly realized that Xinxue might not just be a political tool, but something with greater potential!
"It seems that I have been away from Xuchang for too long and don't know enough about the new learning."
Facing the rapid changes in the new school, Cao Cao felt a sense of crisis in his heart for no reason.
As a leader, you can not understand many things, but you must never let some things escape your control.
Fortunately, when Cao Cao encountered this situation, his first reaction was not to commit humane destruction, but to learn from it himself.
Perhaps it was Cao Cao's literati character that was at work, but for new learning, Cao Cao's attitude was undoubtedly an excellent thing.
After that, Cao Cao did not discuss political affairs or military affairs with He Yan anymore. Instead, he casually chatted about family issues and let He Yan leave.
"call--"
As soon as He Yan stepped forward, Cao Cao let out a sigh of relief.
A face that had never appeared before anyone slowly appeared on Cao Cao's face.
Sadness, emotion, decline, and a slight lack of strength.
"Xuande."
After muttering alone for a while, Cao Cao sneered again without knowing why.
"Ah!"
"No matter what, our journey is not over yet."
At this time, Cao Cao did not show hysterical vents, nor was he weak with tears. Instead, he was like a stone, staying in place forever.
The slightly dull look in his eyes was actually just because Cao Cao's mind was entirely focused on glancing at the past, slowly and for a long time.
"Xuande."
When Cao Cao came to his senses, he called Liu Bei's name again.
This sound sounded like nostalgia and relief... In any case, these two words were like clouds in the wind, drifting away little by little, leaving only Cao Cao's firm eyes.
"You, me, and Primordial, our journey is not over yet!"
————————
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The sixth year of Jian'an passed quickly and the spring of the seventh year of Jian'an came.
For the past year, everyone in Cao Cao's forces seemed extremely calm and stable. After all, because he won the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao was free from huge peripheral pressure for the first time and could calmly accumulate strength.
But for Yuan Shao from Hebei, the past year was almost like a nightmare.
The failure of Guandu made Yuan Shao no longer have any tender feelings towards the Hebei aristocratic family, and he had a complete attitude of "those who follow me will prosper, and those who go against me will perish".
Simple and crude military suppression appeared in large and small places in Hebei. Yuan Shao almost completed the changes in Hebei in a manner that burned his heritage.
Yecheng.
Yuan Shao sat together with his true confidants, Shen Pei, Guo Tu, and Feng Ji, to discuss matters in Hebei. Without the constraints of the Hebei faction, Yuan Shao's advisers could express their own opinions and gradually complete the centralization of power in Hebei.
Yuan Shao, who was sitting in the main seat, was excited and a little regretful when he saw this scene.
I am excited because the problems that have always existed in my power have finally been completely solved! But what I regret is why I didn't do it earlier, instead of waiting for the fire in Guandu to wake me up?
If he had just taken control of Jizhou for a year or two and had directly seized the military power from Ju Shou and at the same time forcefully suppressed people like Tian Feng, why would he have done this?
Fortunately...it's not too late!
When Yuan Shao got excited, he started coughing violently, which made Guo Tu, the judge who was discussing the matter, cast worried looks.
Since returning from the Battle of Guandu, Yuan Shao's health seems to be getting worse day by day.
Others don't know this, but as Yuan Shao's confidants, it's impossible for them not to know!
"Lord..."
They only hope that Yuan Shao can persist for a few more years!
As long as we persist for five more years... no! Three years! The situation in the entire world will completely change!
Within three years, Yuan Shao must have completed the centralization of power in Hebei and continued to go south to wage war against Cao Cao.
With the centralization of power in Hebei, and the people under Yuan Shao's command united as one, Cao Cao in the Central Plains could not resist Yuan Shao, and could only lead him to death.
And when Cao Cao died and Yuan Shao welcomed Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty back, with righteousness in hand, who else in the world could be Yuan Shao's opponent?
Liu Biao?
Don't forget that Liu Biao was originally from Yuan Shao's faction.
Liu Zhang?
Not to mention Liu Zhang, even his father Liu Yanzai still did not pose a big threat to Yuan Shao.
The remaining Sun Quan, Shi Xie, Ma Teng... can those people be called enemies?
Therefore, Yuan Shao's most critical task is to hold on until Cao Cao is dealt with. In this way, for Yuan Shao, the rest is a matter of smooth flow!
But the problem is that everyone knows it, but no one dares to say it openly.
When it comes to the issue of the monarch's lifespan, even the closest ministers dare not cross this natural chasm, so everyone pretends to be confused while pretending to understand.
In fact, Yuan Shao also had some vague awareness in his heart, but he himself didn't want to believe it.
After finally getting rid of Gongsun Zan, finally rectifying Hebei, and finally seeing hope of ending the troubled times... How dare Yuan Shao stop his dominance because of his own body?
Now Yuan Shao must hold on even if he can hold on, and even more if he can't hold on!
Otherwise, how could Yuan Shao be worthy of his comrades who supported him along the way?
"When the grain is harvested this year, we will dispatch 50,000 troops into the Taihang Mountains to suppress the bandits!"
"Without the support of those people, a little Zhang Yan won't be able to survive for many days! We can block most of the entrances and exits of Taihang Mountain and starve Zhang Yan to death!"
"Then, as soon as spring begins next year, let Yuan Tan attack Xuzhou! As long as we can attract part of Cao Cao's troops, I will immediately lead the army south and attack Yanzhou!"
"When the time comes, if Yanzhou and Qingzhou send troops together, Cao Cao's Xuzhou will definitely be in danger. At that time, Cao Cao will never be able to recover!"
Destroy Zhang Yan in one year and level Cao Cao in one year!
Yuan Shao's strategic blueprint looked so tempting, making everyone excited.
Even though Yuan Shao had just lost to Cao Cao in Guandu, everyone believed that if he had another fight with Cao Cao, the final winner would definitely be Yuan Shao!
But it's a pity.
Just a few months later, when Yuan Shao was preparing to send troops to encircle and suppress Zhang Yan's group, he suddenly fell ill on his bed.
"Send troops! Send troops! What are you doing around my bed? Send troops!"
After Yuan Shao fell ill, he was unconscious for a long time and awake for a short time, but every time he woke up, Yuan Shao would yell——
"Judgment match! Guo Tu! What are you doing guarding by my bed? Send troops! Send troops!"
Yuan Shao shouted until the end, his voice already filled with tears. When Shen Pei, Guo Tu and others saw Yuan Shao like this, they all fell on Yuan Shao and cried bitterly.
Only three days after he fell ill, Yuan Shao finally couldn't resist the intrusion of the disease and passed away in Yecheng after shouting "send troops" for the last time.
The fever has subsided, and now it’s time to swallow the razor blade... Sigh, our physique is so bad, we have to suffer all kinds of sins, and we didn’t skip it at all.