Han Dynasty Achievements

Chapter 319 Alliance

When Yuan Shao successfully destroyed Gongsun Zan, Cao Cao was attacking Runan.

Runan County was a large county. Although it had suffered hardships, it still had a large population and was connected to counties of all sizes.

Following Cao Cao's imperial guards, Dong Zhuo's troops retreated in an orderly manner. They had no resistance at all, as if they were going to hand over Runan County to them.

Having suffered a loss, Cao Cao did not rush in, but instead took a steady approach, gradually "recovering" Runan and remaining extremely vigilant against Dong Zhuo.

In late August of the fifth year of Yonghan, Cao Cao occupied almost the entire Runan, and also received the head of Gongsun Zan sent by Yuan Shao.

Inside the big tent, Cao Cao stared at Gongsun Zan's head, which was unrecognizable but still vaguely recognizable. His face was as gloomy as water and his eyes were blazing with anger.

Cao Hong was furious and shouted, "What does this little Yuan Shao mean? Is he trying to scare us? General, this little Yuan Shao has killed General Fenwu without permission. I beg you to lead the army to attack him!"

Everyone else looked unhappy. Yuan Shao gave Gongsun Zan's head to Cao Cao, which contained too many weird thoughts!

Guo Jia, Yang Xiu, Sima Yi, Cao Ren, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Le Jin and others also looked unhappy. Yuan Shao's move was simply a declaration of war on Cao Cao!

After Cao Hong finished speaking, Yang Xiu raised his hand and said in silence, "General, no matter what Yuan Shao's intention is, the most important thing right now is to conquer Dong Zhuo. We must not start any more disputes."

The "anti-Dong" camp is already missing Gongsun Zan. If Cao Cao and Yuan Shao fight again, Dong Zhuo will wake up laughing in his dreams!

Cao Cao glanced at him and his expression became even gloomier.

As a general appointed by the imperial court, Cao Cao naturally wanted to destroy Dong Zhuo first. However, Yuan Shao first destroyed Gongsun Zan and then sent Gongsun Zan's head to Cao Cao. His intentions were hard to predict!

Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan and others did not dare to speak. They knew clearly that the matter was of great importance and did not dare to speak rashly. Their eyes shifted back and forth between Cao Cao and Guo Jia.

These two people are the key to determining how they respond.

Guo Jia drank his wine with an expressionless face, his eyes fixed outside the tent.

One can imagine the anger in Cao Cao's heart, but the fact that he didn't explode was the result of his great restraint.

In the past, Cao Cao would have taken up his sword and killed people, or even sent troops to Yangzhou.

Cao Cao gnashed his teeth in hatred, but gradually calmed down on the surface and said calmly: "Fengxiao, what do you think?"

Guo Jia held the wine pot in his hand, not moving, and said, "I heard that Yuan Shao has sent troops to Runan?"

Yang Xiu replied, "Yes. Runan is the ancestral home of the Yuan family. Yuan Shao's intention is to come here to pay homage to his ancestors and to send troops from Runan to attack Dong Zhuo."

Guo Jia took a sip of wine, turned around, and said to Cao Cao: "General, Yuzhou is already a vital place, where the north and the south must meet. Yuan Shao entered Runan, I am afraid he intends to swallow Yuzhou."

Cao Cao snorted coldly and said, "How ridiculous! Just because he defeated Yuan Shu, he really thinks he is invincible and can rule the world at will?"

Guo Jia said: "I heard that Yuan Shao issued a letter of conquest to attack Dong Zhuo, but he omitted the general."

As soon as Guo Jia finished speaking, the atmosphere in the tent became more tense.

Cao Cao was "missed". Who is Cao Cao? In the world today, who doesn't know the name of Cao Cao?

Yuan Shao first sent Gongsun Zan's head, and then deliberately did not send an edict to Cao Cao. What was he thinking?

Cao Hong could not help but shouted: "General, I think Yuan Shao thinks you are the second Gongsun Zan. You must not be polite to him. In my opinion, it will not be too late to destroy Yuan Shao first and then Dong Zhuo!"

Cao Cao glanced at him and had nothing to say to the rough fellow. He looked around and suddenly landed on Sima Yi and asked, "What do you think?"

Sima Yi naturally knew that Cao Cao didn't like him. After a moment's hesitation, he immediately said, "General, destroying Dong Zhuo is the first priority set by the court. If you fight with Yuan Shao, it will ruin the plan and give Dong Zhuo an opportunity. At this time, you must put the overall situation first and don't act rashly."

"What is rash?"

Xiahou Yuan could no longer sit still and said in a cold voice: "Cao Cao has already killed Gongsun Zan and sent his head to us. Are we supposed to pretend that nothing happened and unite our forces to fight against Dong together? Aren't you worried that Yuan Shao will swallow us up in one gulp?"

"No." Sima Yi said concisely.

Xiahou Yuan wanted to debate with him, but when he saw that he only said these two words, he swallowed the words and asked, "Why?"

Not only Xiahou Yuan, but also Cao Cao, Guo Jia, Cao Ren, Yang Xiu and everyone else's eyes fell on Sima Yi.

Sima Yi was still a young boy, facing so many eyes, he was not in a hurry, and said: "General, Yuan Shao attacked and destroyed Gongsun Zan, saying that Gongsun Zan attacked first and he was defending himself. At this time, although this excuse is poor, the court will not pursue it. Yuan Shao sent Gongsun Zan's head, mostly out of deterrence, forcing the general to be inferior to him. The fundamental purpose is to unite with the general and destroy Dong Zhuo together. Under the current situation, Dong Zhuo is the common enemy of the general and Yuan Shao. Even if the general and Yuan Shao are united, they may not be Dong Zhuo's opponent. If Yuan Shao insists on fighting with the general, Dong Zhuo will benefit from it, which is not the result Yuan Shao wants. In summary, I guess that Yuan Shao is just threatening, and he will not and dare not fight with the general."

Guo Jia looked at Sima Yi dimly, and then secretly exchanged glances with Cao Cao.

It seemed as if Cao Cao was staring at Sima Yi seriously for the first time, and thought to himself: I underestimated him.

Cao Cao and Guo Jia looked at each other, suppressed their anger, and said, "Feng Xiao, what do you think?"

Guo Jia drank the wine and said, "What Sima said makes some sense. No matter what Yuan Shao's purpose was in sending Gongsun Zan's head to you, he will not go to war with you. Instead, he will use you to fight against Dong Zhuo together with you. Putting Yuan Shao aside for now, you have two options. One is to wait for Yuan Shao to enter Runan and then join forces to attack Pei State. The other is to stop Yuan Shao outside Runan and attack with a divided force."

Cao Cao remained calm, glancing at the others and asked, "Zixiao, what do you think?"

Among all of Cao Cao's generals, Cao Ren was the one that suited his taste the most. He was steady and sharp, and was a good candidate for a great general.

Cao Ren raised his hand and said, "I suggest that we join forces. The Dong thief is powerful and has many tricks. We should face him head-on and strive to win in one battle. We cannot delay for too long."

Cao Cao nodded heavily and said, "Zixiao's words make sense. What do others think?"

Yang Xiu was very perceptive. He looked at Cao Cao, Guo Jia, and Cao Ren and immediately understood what was going on. He raised his hand and said, "I agree. The overall situation is the most important thing."

Xiahou Dun knew Cao Cao too well, so he said, "I second the motion."

Xiahou Yuan and others followed soon after. It seemed that they no longer had the anger that Yuan Shao had for sending Gongsun Zan's head, and they all agreed to join forces with Yuan Shao to attack Dong Zhuo together.

Only Cao Hong and Le Jin could not tolerate such a violent temper, but under the unanimous opinion, he turned pale, stiffened his neck, raised his hands, and endured it with the crowd.

Cao Cao took in all their expressions, raised his head and chest, and said in a deep voice: "However, how can I let Yuan Shao go if he bullies me like this! Xiahou Dun, Le Jin, you lead 10,000 soldiers to stop Yuan Shao outside Runan. If he breaks in by force... fight him back!"

Xiahou Dun was startled, and Le Jin said impatiently: "I will obey your orders!"

Xiahou Dun responded to Cao Cao's gaze, recalled instantly, and said, "I will obey your orders."

Guo Jia drank his wine and laughed in his heart. This general of his was sometimes magnanimous and tolerant, but sometimes, he could be very petty.

Yang Xiu and the others wanted to continue to persuade Cao Cao to put the overall situation first, but Cao Cao suddenly stood up, drew his sword, and shouted in a deep voice: "In Runan, there are many nobles who are traitors and do not repent. Xiahou Yuan, I order you to arrest them immediately. Anyone who disobeys my order will be executed on the spot for treason and will not be forgiven!"

"I obey your command!" Xiahou Yuan responded loudly.

Yang Xiu, Sima Yi and others were familiar with Cao Cao's past, and also knew how Xiahou Yuan had been imprisoned for four or five years. They wanted to dissuade him, but under Cao Cao's cold gaze, they could only keep their words to themselves.

Guo Jia didn't care, but just shook his head secretly.

Cao Cao is now seriously short of food and fodder, and Runan has been plundered countless times over the past few decades, from the Yellow Turban Army to various rebels, to Yuan Shu, Gongsun Zan, Dong Zhuo, etc.

Cao Cao deployed his troops for a while, and after everyone left, only Guo Jia and Cao Cao were left.

Cao Cao could no longer conceal his anger. His face turned pale and he almost roared, "Yuan Shao, you little bastard, I will kill you with my own hands one day!"

Guo Jia sat upright, put down the wine pot, and waited for Cao Cao to vent for a while before saying, "General, it is impossible for Yuan Shao to rebel in the short term. However, I will definitely not use my full strength to fight against Dong."

Cao Cao was still furious, but he was still rational. He sneered, "Yuan Shao now only wants to use Dong Zhuo to enhance his reputation and expand his military strength, and take the opportunity to weaken the court. This thief has no heart for the overall situation, but he wants to rule the world. It's really ridiculous!"

Guo Jia looked more serious and said, "General, you must not underestimate this man. Right now the south is in chaos and the court is unstable. It is the time for rebellion to rise. If we cannot wipe out Dong Zhuo and strengthen the prestige of the court, the court will be in danger!"

Cao Cao frowned and said, "Isn't what Feng Xiao said too serious?"

Guo Jia shook his head and said more seriously: "The court has recently issued many 'new policies'. They seem to be old tunes with new words, but after careful study, I found that there is only one word behind these major policies."

Cao Cao couldn't help but look serious and asked, "What word?"

Guo Jia said with unprecedented seriousness, "'Urgent'! Behind these major policies, there is a strong sense of urgency. The six ministries and nine temples are like this, the Shangshutai is like this, the Tingwei, the Yushitai, etc. are all the same. The whole court is anxious, which only means one thing - His Majesty in the palace is anxious!"

Cao Cao's expression changed, his face became gloomy, and his eyes flashed like lightning.

He had been in the palace for quite some time and had a certain understanding of the emperor. He was a man with inexplicable self-confidence, long-term planning, and calm actions.

What could make him anxious?

Cao Cao quickly thought of it. His narrow eyes gradually turned cold and he looked at Guo Jia anxiously, saying, "What should I do now?"

In this campaign to conquer Dong Zhuo, the imperial court only sent three people, Cao Cao, Liu Bei and the unnamed General Huang Zhong of Yanzhou.

Everyone knows that Huang Zhong will not be the main force, because Yanzhou cannot be moved lightly, let alone in chaos!

Liu Bei was driven out of Xuzhou by Lu Bu and was now unable to protect himself, let alone conquer Dong Zhuo.

Therefore, the real main force and hope of the court in fighting against Dong Zhuo lies on Cao Cao alone!

Guo Jia saw the whole thing clearly. He glanced at the wine pot on the ground, and said, "The sooner we destroy Dong Zhuo, the better. And the general should be the main force. No one else should be allowed to do anything else!"

Cao Cao remained silent, thinking of various strategies in his mind.

When Guo Jia saw that Cao Cao understood, he picked up the wine jug and drank slowly to relieve his craving for alcohol.

After pondering for a while, Cao Cao could not think of a quick way to win. He looked up and said to Guo Jia: "Fengxiao, is the court really in such a critical situation?"

Guo Jia's heart was inexplicably moved when he heard this, and then he said with a smile: "It may not be a crisis, but it may be that His Majesty is dissatisfied with the progress of the 'New Deal' and is a little anxious."

Cao Cao nodded slightly, looking outside the tent and gazing towards Luoyang City.

He had many confusions in his mind, which remained unanswered even after he had gone to great lengths to capture Jian Shuo. Instead, he became even more worried and alert.

Guo Jia pretended to drink and followed Cao Cao's gaze outside, but in fact he was secretly observing Cao Cao out of the corner of his eye.

He could never see through Cao Cao and had no idea what was in his mind.

Especially after Cao Cao seized Qiao County, Guo Jia began to have some uneasy suspicions about him.

"Liu Bei,"

Suddenly, Cao Cao retracted his gaze and said to Guo Jia: "I plan to invite him to Runan, what do you think, Fengxiao?"

Guo Jia thought about it carefully and said, "Xuzhou is no longer possible, but it is possible."

Cao Cao nodded and said, "Liu Bei still has more than 10,000 soldiers and horses. Together with my 40,000 soldiers, our strength is equal to Yuan Shao's. If we can destroy Dong Zhuo before Yuan Shao does, it will surely boost the prestige of the court and deter all the villains!"

Guo Jia took a sip of wine and said, "General, have you received any reply to the letter to Liu Biao?"

Cao Cao snorted angrily when he heard this, and said, "He said that there are too many bandits in Jingzhou and he has no time to spare. Not only will he not come in person, he can't even send troops!"

Guo Jia shook his head and said, "This person wants to sit on the sidelines and wait for the situation to change."

Cao Cao looked towards the south with a mocking expression, and said, "At a critical moment, you are timid and cowardly. How can you achieve great things if you act like this?"

Guo Jia also looked down on Liu Biao and asked, "What about the others?"

Cao Cao said, "There are some county governors and magistrates who have replied to my letter. Many of them have sent money and food, and many are willing to come. There are probably seven or eight of them."

Guo Jia thought for a moment and said, "There should be more. This is a rare opportunity for them to show off their reputation and gain fame. They don't need to charge into battle. Only fools would keep silent."

When Cao Cao heard this, he suddenly said, "Sun Ce, the son of Marquis Wucheng, took the initiative to write to me, saying that he would lead 10,000 troops to form an alliance with me to fight the enemy together."

Guo Jia couldn't help but smile and said, "Then Sun Ce hasn't inherited the title of Marquis of Wucheng yet, right?"

Cao Cao said, "Yes, the court is trying to suppress it. But Wu Shangshu from the Ministry of Works wrote to me, hoping that I would take care of Sun Ce and asking me to write a letter to the court for Sun Ce's succession to the title."

Guo Jia guessed that Cao Cao must have accepted the benefit, and said: "Why not first see if Sun Ce is as brave as his father."