"Tell me, what's going on in Jingzhou?" After everyone retreated, Cao Cao rubbed his forehead and looked at Guo Jia and the others...
"My Lord, I know the strength of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, and General Cao is very capable, but even so, the entire army was wiped out. This Jingzhou is really terrible. Now, Ma Teng and Han Sui are both dead, and the entire Liangzhou
The state has fallen into the hands of Jingzhou. If Jingzhou is given more time to develop, I am afraid that Jingzhou will become a serious problem for the lord sooner or later."
After pondering for a moment, Guo Jia was the first to speak.
Jingzhou is developing too fast. Yizhou and Liangzhou have annexed the two states in a short period of time. If it is allowed to develop, no one knows what Jingzhou will develop into.
Although Cao Cao's power is still stronger than that of Jingzhou, Cao Cao spent decades and decades of fighting to finally reach today's situation, while Jingzhou only took less than two years.
Taking a breath, Guo Jia spoke again: "Lord, isn't Jingzhou's development going too smoothly?"
Hearing Guo Jia's words, Cao Cao and others were stunned for a moment, and then their hearts trembled. Guo Jia was right, Jingzhou seemed to be developing unusually smoothly. Since Liu Qi began to rise to prominence, Jingzhou's power has expanded rapidly.
It seems that no force can stop Jingzhou.
"Fengxiao is right. Jingzhou has developed too smoothly. Yizhou and Liangzhou seem to be easily annexed by Jingzhou. Jingzhou seems to have the upper hand in every aspect." Xun Wenruo also frowned.
The situation in Liangzhou was so complicated this time, and there were still 20,000 tiger and leopard cavalry. According to several people's guesses, it would take at least several years to stabilize. Unexpectedly, in just a few months, Liangzhou would be completely controlled by Jingzhou.
"You can send troops to Jingzhou if you still ask your lord. We can't let Jingzhou develop like this." Cheng Yu straightened his face, raised his hands and said to Cao Cao.
"But now we finally have the opportunity to capture Ye City. Did we just miss it like this?" A flash of hesitation flashed in Cao Cao's eyes. In the past few years, he had been suppressed by Yuan Shao and couldn't hold his head up. He finally defeated Yuan Shao and still managed to defeat him.
Without completely annexing Yuan Shao's power, Jingzhou's rise here is really unexpected.
"My lord, there is no need to do this. Now that most of my lord's troops are hoarded here, my lord can temporarily send some of his troops back to Xudu to paralyze the three Yuan brothers, and then directly annex Yuan Shao's forces with the power of thunder, and then raise his troops."
Going south. Moreover, the army is tired from traveling and traveling, and is short of food and grass. We can temporarily order the army to rest and wait until enough food and grass are collected before attacking Jingzhou. It will be a few months later. This will not only reassure the generals, but also
Let Jingzhou be on guard all day long and waste food and grass, and wait until everything in the north is calmed down, then go south and take Jingzhou directly."
Seeing Cao Cao's hesitation, Xun Wenruo chuckled and said, he knew Cao Cao's worries, and he didn't want to let go of Yuan Shao's Xiazhou County.
"Wen Ruo is right, but the development of Jingzhou so far is not a fluke. I heard that Liu Qi's ministers and generals are all good, and now my lord is in confrontation with Jiangdong. If he announces that he will go south to Jiangdong at this time, he will definitely not sit idly by. There are many swamps in the south.
, and the lord has no navy under his command, so if you go south, something may happen."
Guo Jia frowned and said, although he also wanted to send troops to conquer Jingzhou at this time, it was obviously not the best time to conquer Jingzhou at this time.
"What Fengxiao said is reasonable, but Jingzhou is already a serious concern for the lord, and Jingzhou cannot be allowed to develop any further. The lord can order the coastal counties to secretly train naval forces to prepare for emergencies, and most of the lord's troops are here.
We have to move south quickly. We only need to assume an offensive posture, and Jingzhou will have to defend and defend. Moreover, Jiangdong and Jingzhou have a long-standing enmity. The lord can send people to form an alliance with Jiangdong to jointly fight against Jingzhou."
Cheng Yu opened his mouth and said that conquering Jingzhou was not a day's work, but making a gesture can make Jingzhou sleep and eat uneasily.
"In this case, let's take over the counties in Jizhou first, and then talk about going south. However, the matter of Cao Hong cannot be forgotten like this. Immediately order Xudu to reorganize and deploy defenses. The counties and counties around Liangzhou must also be vigilant and not let anything go.
There is an opportunity in Jingzhou. I don't believe that Jingzhou can defend Liangzhou." Cao Cao immediately ordered.
Although it is difficult to capture Jingzhou, Jingzhou has just captured Liangzhou and its foothold is not yet stable, so it can take action against Liangzhou.
"How should Jingzhou respond?" Xun Wenruo asked.
This time the lord of Jingzhou wrote a letter, blaming the incident in Liangzhou, blaming Cao Hong's death on Han Sui, and even sent Han Sui's body to Xudu, obviously because he wanted to see Cao Cao's jokes.
"Hmph, Ma Teng has a son named Ma Chao. I heard he is very capable. If that's the case, let him be the shepherd of Liangzhou." Cao Cao snorted coldly, feeling extremely disgusted with Jingzhou's thoughts.
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In Yecheng, with Yuan Shao's death, the situation in Yecheng has indeed become increasingly strange. It is no secret that Yuan and Tan are competing for the position of heir.
The three brothers all had military power. They were dissatisfied with each other and were implicated in each other. No one made the first move.
"Young Master, there is an envoy from Cao Cao outside asking to see you." In Yuan Tan's mansion, a guard quickly walked in to report.
"Cao Cao's envoy?" A flash of doubt flashed in Yuan Tan's eyes. They were mortal enemies with Cao Cao. Why did Cao Cao send someone here at this time?
"Let him come in." Yuan Tan hesitated and walked out quickly. He also wanted to see what Cao Cao's envoy wanted to say.
"My Wang Lang has met the eldest son." As soon as Yuan Tan walked out, he saw a middle-aged man walking in quickly.
"I wonder why Cao Cao sent you here?" Cao Cao was the direct culprit of Yuan Shao's death, and naturally he didn't have a good look towards Cao Cao's envoy.
"Haha, eldest son, please express your condolences. My lord heard about Jizhou Mu's death and specially ordered me to come to express his condolences." Wang Lang chuckled lightly and did not care about Yuan Tan's actions, but raised his hands and said.
"It's really ridiculous. Go back and tell Cao Cao that although his father is dead, Jizhou is not something he can touch." Yuan Tan said with a gloomy expression.
"The eldest son is joking. My lord and Jizhou Mu are old friends. Now that I heard that Jizhou Mu has died, the previous grudges have naturally been wiped out. Now my lord has decided to withdraw his troops. However, this war was caused by Jizhou Mu's army. The army
The losses in the expedition are not small. As long as the eldest son can cede the land of the three counties, my lord will immediately withdraw his troops and not interfere with Jizhou." Wang Lang cupped his hands and said calmly.
"Haha, Cao Cao will withdraw his troops? It's really funny. With Cao Cao's greedy character, he would like to annex Jizhou directly, so why would he be so kind?" Yuan Tan laughed, not believing what Wang Lang said.
"Whether the lord is lying, the eldest son will be able to know in a few days. Now some troops have begun to evacuate. I think more troops and horses will evacuate in a few days. Having said this, whether you believe it or not depends on what the eldest son does.
Think about it." Wang Lang said lightly, then turned and left.
Immediately, Wang Lang went to Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang's residence, and said exactly the same thing. In less than two hours, Wang Lang came to express his condolences to Yuan Shao, and the news of Cao Cao's withdrawal spread throughout Yecheng.
"The eldest son, Cao Cao, suddenly retreated. He must have some plot. The eldest son has to be on guard." In Yuan Tan's mansion, Xin Ping and Guo Tu had been invited to the mansion by Yuan Tan.
"Yes, now that my lord has just died, Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang have secretly gathered troops to prepare for rebellion. The eldest son must not be careless. He should inherit the lord's legacy as soon as possible to prevent changes." Guo Tu said with a serious expression.
In the past few days, the three brothers have fought countless times. Although Yuan Tan had a certain advantage as the eldest son, both Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang stood up to oppose it. The entire Ye city was in chaos at this time. If it weren't for Cao Cao's army
Pressure on the border, I am afraid that there has been a war in Yecheng for a long time.
At this moment, a general walked in quickly.
"My lord, Cao Cao's 20,000 tiger and leopard knights were completely wiped out in Liangzhou, and General Cao Hong was killed on the spot." The military general hugged several people.
"What?" After hearing the news, Yuan Tan and the other three were shocked. Cao Cao's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry had caused them a lot of suffering. This time Yuan Shao was defeated, and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry had made a great contribution.
At this moment, the entire army of 20,000 tiger and leopard cavalry were wiped out, and several people could not believe it.
"The news is absolutely true. Cao Hong led 20,000 tigers and leopards in Liangzhou and were wiped out by Jingzhou. Now Liangzhou has fallen into the hands of Jingzhou." The general sighed.
"So, it's not because Cao Cao doesn't want to capture Yecheng at this time, but because of the 20,000 tigers and leopards?" Yuan Tan's face showed a bit of joy.
Even Guo Tu and Xin Ping on the side breathed a sigh of relief. Cao Cao's withdrawal would at least relieve some of the pressure.
"Pay close attention to the movements of Cao Cao's army and report immediately as soon as there is news." Yuan Tan immediately ordered.
"My eldest son, it is very likely that Cao Cao will withdraw his troops now. My lord's legacy still needs your eldest son to make early preparations." If he was afraid of Cao Cao some time ago, then Yuan Tan could fight for it with all his strength without any scruples.
"Okay, we can order the soldiers and horses outside the city to enter the city secretly, and temporarily dispatch 10% of the troops and horses from various places to come immediately." Yuan Tan pondered for a moment and said immediately.
"promise."
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At Yuan Xi's house
"Pay close attention to the movements of Cao Cao's army. Once Cao Cao withdraws his troops, immediately mobilize troops and horses into the city without letting anyone know. In addition, contact me immediately and tell them that I have something urgent to discuss with them." In the study, someone received the message.
Yuan Xi also ordered after hearing the news that the entire army of 20,000 tiger and leopard cavalry had been wiped out.
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"Okay, as soon as Cao Cao retreats, let me see what Yuan Tan can do with me. Order the soldiers and horses outside the city to enter the city quickly, and ask Feng Ji and Shen Pei to come to my residence immediately." Yuan Shang
He said with excitement.
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As more and more news came, undercurrents surged throughout Yecheng, and the situation suddenly became tense.