The problem of Xiapi is indeed very difficult. After Wang Yu received Li Shiyi's urgent report sixty miles away from Tancheng, he also had similar thoughts to Zhang Xiao.// Welcome to Reading//
According to Lieutenant Li's letter, the current situation in Xiapi has almost replicated the bustling scene in Luoyang after the news of the martial arts contest spread in 2016. All forces sent capable guests to launch a campaign against Cao Bao.
Cao Bao is just a sidekick in Xiaoli and has only been shown a few times, but in fact, his position in Xuzhou is very important. He is Tao Qian's fellow countryman and confidant, and he is also the number one general under Lao Tao.
With Xuzhou's most elite 10,000 Danyang soldiers!
Cao Bao's 10,000 troops are Tao Qian's last resort. Once something changes, Xuzhou will almost fall completely.
Of course, there is no doubt about Cao Bao's loyalty to Tao Qian. For such flimsy reasons as unkindness, it would have been impossible for him to gain the trust and status he received now if he had changed his employer.
Yuan Shu has been working hard on Cao Bao in the past two years, thinking that as long as Cao Bao is recruited and surrendered, Xuzhou will not only gain access to Xuzhou, but it will also be possible to confront the Qingzhou Army head-on.
But he has never succeeded. Although Yuan Shu's situation is indeed better than that of Xuzhou, no matter how strong he is, can he still be stronger than Qingzhou? Cao Bao was not fooled at all.
However, after the news of Wang Yu's journey south spread, Cao Bao's mind suddenly changed.
As the intelligence gathered by Qingzhou secret agents showed, Cao Bao had no intention of betraying Tao Qian, but he guessed the reason why Tao Qian invited Wang Yu to go south, and felt uneasy because of it.
Qingzhou's promotion system doesn't take seniority or background into account, it's all based on ability. Among the generals, the ones who have been with Wang Yu the longest, besides Yu Jin, are Fang Yue, Li Shiyi and others. But the ones behind them are
Don't compare with Xu Huang, Huang Zhong and others who joined later in terms of status. Even Wei Yan and Pan Zhang, who just joined recently, cannot compare.
Li Shiyi came from a poor background and had a low starting point, which was fine, but Fang Yue was different. He was Wang Yu who brought 5,000 county soldiers to join him. At that time, Wang Yu's troops only had 500!
With such seniority, he still cannot be included in the top five generals. Cao Bao thinks that his martial arts and military skills are not necessarily better than Fang Yue's, so one can only imagine his treatment after joining Qingzhou.
What's more, his change of flag to the Qingzhou Army is not considered a great achievement. Because this was Tao Qian's wish, Wang Yu would only repay Tao Qian's family members and descendants, and it had little to do with Cao Bao.
It is conceivable that his future can at best be compared with that of Gong Tian - in order to earn some credit and climb up the ladder, Gong Tian went to the East with Tai Shi Ci! That was a narrow escape mission!
Cao Baogen couldn't imagine how he would struggle to survive if he and his opponent were in the same situation. He could only try hard not to fall into that situation.
Cao Bao's change was first reflected in his attitude towards Yuan Shu's envoys. Although he had done things like beheading envoys and destroying books before leaving no way out, he was not polite to Yuan Shu's envoys. He rarely saw the envoys when they came to his door.
It is not unheard of for others to be kicked out of the city gate when they occasionally encounter Uncle Cao who is in a bad mood.
However, Yuan Shu got the news that Wang Yu was going south. When he sent Yan Xiang to visit again, he was solemnly received by Cao Bao. As a result, the wind direction in Xiapi suddenly changed.
Although Wang Yu's march south was high-profile, it was also fast. After the princes got the news, they actually had no time to respond.
However, Cao Bao has been away leading troops for more than a year, and Tao Qian's illness is not a matter of a day or two. The princes who have ideas about Xuzhou have left people in Xiapi, always ready to contact Cao Bao, who may fall into turmoil.
Xuzhou gets a share of the pie.
No one is stupider than others. Cao Bao's obvious change is like lice on a bald man's head. It is obvious that several princes who have ideas about Xuzhou are moved by the news. The envoys who were originally guarding Xiapi City also became active.
The mansion was immediately filled with guests, and there were a lot of guests.
The timing of this change was not coincidental, and it also cast a shadow over Wang Yu's trip to Xuzhou. Li Shiyi, who was in control of the overall situation in Tancheng, did not dare to neglect. While asking Wang Yu for help, he rushed to Xiapi to respond in person.
.
It was Zhuge Liang who read the letter. While reading it, he relayed it to Wang Yu. After listening to this, everyone frowned. This unexpected situation was indeed a bit tricky. If we consider it together with Zhang Kai's assassination,
It’s easy to come to the conclusion…
"There is a conspiracy!" After joining Zhang Jia's large group of troops, Wei Yan rushed up overnight. After hearing the news, he said his mantra without thinking.
"There is indeed a conspiracy." Zhuge Liang and Wei Yan reached a rare agreement.
It is obvious that someone is plotting secretly, intending to interfere with Wang Yu's process of taking over Xuzhou. It is naturally best to get rid of Wang Yu. If this cannot be achieved, the next best thing can be to try to delay Wang Yu's trip.
This made it impossible for him to successfully see Tao Qian for the last time.
As long as Tao Qian dies, Wang Yu's righteousness in taking over Xuzhou will be gone. If he relies on his military strength to come, it will be a defeat! Facing Tao Qian, who is kind to him, will greatly shake him.
Reputation also facilitates the various forces in Xuzhou to unite with the same hatred to fight against the enemy.
It's like there is a pair of invisible things. From the beginning of Wang Yu's move south, it has begun to affect all the forces in Xuzhou, and it has become a subtle resistance to Wang Yu. The plan is linked one by one. Even if part of it is destroyed, it can still be achieved.
They are entangled layer by layer, making it difficult to get rid of them.
"Who is the person behind the scenes?" Zhao Yun asked this crucial question.
"Could it be that Guo Jia? This man is indeed very resourceful, and his plan for the battle against Luoyang is also so inter-linked." Wei Yan guessed.
"It's difficult." Zhuge Liang shook his head and rejected Wei Yan's method: "Chen Gong, who stirred up the situation in Luoyang, is not an ordinary person, and he pursues the way of combining vertical and horizontal lines. He has unparalleled eloquence, and
And with the convenience of being close to the water, it is easier than Guo Jia to interfere in the situation in Xuzhou."
"Maybe... it's Jiangdong Zhou Gongjin. I don't know." Everyone was excited, and Pang Tong also interjected.
Liu Yao was defeated in Yuzhang, and the war in Jiangdong has come to an end. Although there are still Xu Gong, Yan Baihu, Wang Lang and others who refuse to submit, Sun Ce's current priority is to stabilize the existing territory and wait until the autumn is over.
Use weapons.
Zhou Yu was in Sun Ce's army and was responsible for strategic and diplomatic affairs. There was only a river between Xuzhou and Jiangdong, so it was not impossible for Zhou Yu to have a hand in his back.
You must know that before and after Sun Ce crossed the river, he searched for many talents in Xuzhou, including Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong, whom Tao Qian had invited several times but could not find. In terms of influence in Xuzhou, Sun Ce may not have
Not much worse than Tao Qian.
Wang Yu was speechless. All these possibilities existed, but the name he was calling out in his heart was not among them.
"If you are close to the water, wouldn't you all be willing to sacrifice the near for the far away? Don't forget Liu Bei of Qiao County, the tyrants of Xuzhou, and Que Xuan who claims to be the emperor." Wei Yan glanced at Zhuge Liang and started to make other mistakes again:
"If this conspiracy is indeed a serial scheme, will it be Chen Gong, Zhou Yu and their ilk who can influence Zhang Kai?"
Wei Yan is not just looking for trouble. Liu Bei and Que Xuan were mentioned in Li Shiyi's letter. The two sides are also trying their best to win over Cao Bao. It may be difficult to take the latter under his command, but it is also a good idea to form an offensive and defensive alliance with him.
choose.
"This matter... is indeed worth considering." Zhuge Liang did not fight with Wei Yan this time. He thought for a while, and his expression became more solemn, "If it was really done by people inside Xuzhou, then some people would be very suspicious. For example...
…”
"Guangling Chen family!"
Zhao Yun gently spit out a name, and then questioned himself: "But what is his purpose in doing this?"
After the alliance in Gaotang, Chen Gui once expressed his intention to surrender to Wang Yu, and also sent his son Chen Ying to Qingzhou as a proton. He had already sent the proton, but he was still causing trouble behind the scenes. What is this for? Zhao Yun
I find it difficult to understand.
"First of all, Chen Gui has more than one son, and the one he values most is the eldest son..."
Zhuge Liang said slowly: "Secondly, the Chen family expressed their surrender before because Xuzhou was relatively stable at that time and there was no gap to take advantage of. Local power alone could not compete with our army. Finally, and most importantly, what the Chen family valued most was
In their hometown of Guangling, their highest wish is to be the local emperor there without interference, which is a requirement that Qingzhou cannot meet."
"So, what we have to deal with is Chen Gui, the old fox?"
Zhuge Liang avoided the argument, and Wei Yan reciprocated, following Zhuge Liang's tone: "Actually, this matter is easy to solve. Chen Gui is in Tancheng now. My lord, please be patient. General Rong Mo will enter the city first and capture and kill him."
It doesn't work without a head. As long as we solve this plotter, are we still afraid that that idiot Cao Bao will be able to accomplish much?"
Wei Yan's move went straight to the point, which was in line with his style of doing things. The young men all nodded after hearing this. This was the simplest method. There were only county soldiers in Tan City, and they were almost infiltrated by Qingzhou spies. Wang Yu openly entered
There may still be obstacles in the city, but Wei Yan led a small team to sneak in, and there was no problem at all.
Cao Bao's instability is indeed a problem, but as long as Chen Gui, the late planner, is taken down, even if Cao Bao changes, he will not threaten the security of the East China Sea.
Xuzhou is in such chaos that no one can hope to win it without bloodshed. Anyway, sooner or later the army will have to be put down. If Cao Bao is more, the enemy will not be more, and if Cao Bao is less, it will be less.
No one suggested that Cao Bao should be rewarded with high-ranking officials and generous salaries. Qingzhou's rule that those who are capable are promoted and those who are unable are demoted has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Even Fang Yue, a meritorious veteran, has no complaints. How can he break the rules for a mere Cao Bao? Wang Yu's understanding of the system and regulations
In the eyes of the Qingzhou officials, it is already a bit paranoid, and no one will try it in this regard.
In fact, rules for Cao Bao's situation are being formulated.
In the future planning of Qingzhou, the two allies in Xuzhou and Hebei must be captured through peaceful evolution. Among the three major forces, there are some people with little ability but high status. It is not good to blindly suppress them.
It is not a good idea to make special cases at will, so relevant rules must be formulated so that these people can smoothly integrate into the Qingzhou system.
On the other hand, Lu Bu's army is not that troublesome. Lu Bu only has generals under his command, and they are basically all capable of fighting. After arriving in Qingzhou, as long as there is no problem with loyalty, they will be reused sooner or later.
For this reason, the judge and Tian Feng worked hard, and Zhuge Liang also found faults. As soon as Tian Feng saw his disciple in the official office, he touched his forehead, and the judge even hid his face and walked away many times, fearing that Zhuge Liang would kill him.
Wrap around.
It is not easy to formulate the rules, and the handover of Xuzhou is earlier than scheduled. Cao Bao's problem can only be solved by force. At least he must truly understand the strength of Qingzhou in order to defeat others without fighting. Therefore, this
There is no way around it.
After expressing their approval of Wei Yan's proposal, everyone looked at Wang Yu, waiting for him to make the final decision.
"Judging from the confessions from the long interrogation, the Chen family in Guangling is indeed the mastermind behind the scenes, but this mastermind may not be Chen Gui. Taking him down hastily may play into the mastermind's plan," Wang Yu said.
Fa, which surprised everyone.
"Isn't Chen Gui the head of the family? There are people in the Chen family who are more resourceful, and they can make decisions like sacrificing Chen Gui?" Wei Yan felt a little unbelievable.
If it is true as Wang Yu believed, then his plan played into the hands of the planner. Chen Gui was captured and killed for no reason, and everyone in the local powerhouse will be in danger. If someone else provokes it, the battlefield in Xuzhou will soon become chaotic.
War smoke is rising everywhere, and there are thorns every step of the way.
Wang Yu ignored Wei Yan, but looked deeply at Zhuge Liang, and said slowly: "The so-called aristocratic family is a group of people who take the interests of the family as their ultimate consideration. For the interests of the family, they can disregard their own lives. What else can't they do?
Sacrifice?"
"..." Zhuge Liang felt a tremor welling up from the depths of his soul. He finally understood why Wang Yu had always been hostile to the noble family.
In the final analysis, Wang Yu's various actions in Qingzhou were to twist Qingzhou and even the future Han Dynasty into one rope, so that everyone would have the concept of having a country first and a family second.
Therefore, Qingzhou's New Deal embodies the concept of fairness and justice everywhere, and Wang Yu has been instilling the importance of systems and regulations to his staff, and even swore not to proclaim himself emperor to show fairness!
Regardless of his purpose for doing this, the existence of the aristocratic family is indeed completely contrary to his ideas. His words are not only an inference about the Chen family in Guangling, but also advice and explanation for himself.
There is only one question. Is Wang Yu's conclusion correct? Is there really such a hidden Gao behind the famous Chen Gui who is better than him? If so, this Gao's purpose is indeed what Wang Yu judged.
?
Zhuge Liang took a deep breath to calm the turmoil in his heart, and asked softly: "So, in my opinion, who is the mastermind behind Duan Gaoming?"