Chapter 233 Sending troops to Runan "In addition, in addition to Jingzhou, we need to prepare another thing as soon as possible." Mao Jie looked towards the direction of Chang'an on the map. "Welcome the Emperor!" There was nothing unusual in Xun Yu's eyes, but Xi Zhicai's eyes revealed a hint of gloom. Follow the emperor to punish the disobedient! It sounds like a brilliant move, but in reality it has both advantages and disadvantages. In times of adversity, the emperor is a great help and a trump card, with more advantages than disadvantages. He can be used to contain the princes and occupy the righteous position. But when it developed to a certain extent, the emperor became a "burden" and a "tight ring", doing more harm than good and becoming a stumbling block. If you put a leader above yourself, you will naturally be restricted. After Cao Cao unified the Central Plains, the trouble caused by welcoming the emperor never stopped. Many talents were recruited under the name of the imperial court, but it also made it difficult for Cao Cao to determine whether these people were loyal to the emperor or to himself. In other words, these people can change from being loyal to themselves to being loyal to the emperor at any time, and this has a certain degree of moral legitimacy.
As a result, there were constant internal disputes and the foundation of Cao Cao's rule was shaken. Even Xun Yu stood on the opposite side of Cao Cao, and there were constant rebellions under his rule. Although he gained a huge advantage in diplomacy by maneuvering under the banner of the Son of Heaven, his role became extremely limited in the later period, and he became the target of public criticism and was branded as a traitor to the Han Dynasty. Moreover, this emperor also had his own ideas and never stopped making trouble. Cao Cao also had to arrange enough troops to control the court to prevent the emperor from "rebelling", escaping or being kidnapped. Xun Yu hoped to welcome the emperor in order to let Cao Cao emulate Yi and Huo, save the collapsing empire, save the people from danger, and restore the Han Dynasty. Xi Zhicai was unwilling to do so because he knew that if Cao Cao did so, the outcome would not be good. Powerful ministers like Huo Guang ended up with their clans destroyed. However, if he wants to rebuild the world, he will inevitably suffer a huge backlash in the end after gaining so many benefits under the banner of the Son of Heaven in the early stage. Everything you eat and drink has its own destiny. There is no such thing as taking advantage without suffering any loss. But he couldn't think that far ahead. He had to overcome the current difficulties before he could have a future. Although Cao Cao today is not as miserable as he was in the original historical trajectory, he has completely broken away from Yuan Shao and become independent, and he also has an army of hundreds of thousands. But the situation is still very worrying, and it is still necessary to keep the emperor in our hands. "I have already started to arrange this matter. If everything goes well, it will take half a year, or at the latest next autumn, there will definitely be some progress." Xi Zhicai said. Xun Yu nodded and said: "This matter is as important as seeking Yuzhou, Zhicai, you should pay more attention to it." "As long as we have the emperor in our hands, we can use this as a banner to call on all the princes in the world to jointly conquer Tian Ze." Mao Jie said in a deep voice. After the Battle of Hebei, he and Ju Shou had reached a consensus. Tian Ze's strength made him feel desperate. Even if they and Yuan Shao controlled the Central Plains, what could they do? I'm afraid they couldn't do anything to Tian Ze, who was dominating Hebei. It was only a matter of time before Jizhou was completely lost. In order to defeat Tian Ze, we must gather the strength of all the princes in the world. Among the princes of the world today, there are obviously many incompetent men and incompetent rulers. These people are obviously not suitable candidates for an alliance and must be killed or replaced as soon as possible. They and Tian Ze are racing against time. Before Tian Ze completely establishes victory, they must expand their influence and make allies as quickly as possible. "Tian Chengshou, is he really that scary?" Xun Yu couldn't help but ask again after hearing Mao Jie's words.
Xi Zhicai and Mao Jie looked at each other, recalled the scenes of the battle in Hebei, and couldn't help but sigh. "With the You and Bing cavalry in hand and the Northeast Plain at his back, Tian Chengshou has now become a powerful Qin that is difficult to shake. If we don't defeat him, even if we defeat Yuan Shao and seize the Central Plains, it will be meaningless." "Tian Chengshou is the greatest enemy of all the princes in the world!" …… In Yuzhou, after Liu Bei learned the news that Cao Cao returned to Yanzhou and Yuan Shao took over Xuzhou, a trace of loss flashed in his eyes, but he also inadvertently breathed a sigh of relief. Deep down, he was unwilling to attack Yanzhou, which was a surprise attack, and to force Tao Qian to give up his throne. But the situation was such that he had no choice. Now that he had lost this opportunity, he felt relieved and relieved. Chen Qun stood aside, keenly sensing Liu Bei's emotional changes, and shook his head slightly. His lord was good in every way, except that he was too kind. In these troubled times, kindness can often be fatal. "Changwen, Cao Mengde has led his troops back, and Yuan Benchu has taken Xuzhou. What should we do next?" Liu Bei said in a gentle voice. Chen Qun bowed slightly and said, "My lord, since we can't take Yanzhou and Xuzhou, why not take Runan?" During its peak period, Yuzhou had a population of over seven million, with the most populous county, Runan, having a population of over two million. Even though Runan County is now much dilapidated, it still has a population of one million, which is not much less than the population of Xuzhou. It is such a waste of resources that such a large county is in the hands of a prodigal like Yuan Shu. "What Changwen said is correct. Now is the best time. Cao Mengde and Yuan Benchu have both suffered heavy losses, so they will not start a war easily in a short period of time. The main force of Yuan Gonglu's army just experienced a great battle in Xuzhou, and Runan is short of troops." "We only need to send a general to lead tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, and perhaps we can take Runan in a lightning speed." said Zhao Yan, who had just joined Liu Bei's army. As one of the four famous scholars of Yingchuan, Chen Qun recommended many talents to Liu Bei after he defected to Liu Bei, including Zhao Yan and Du Xi, who were also the four famous scholars. A dragon does not live with snakes. A person like Chen Qun, who has outstanding abilities and a high social status, naturally makes friends with capable people. Although they were not optimistic about Liu Bei at first, they were all impressed by his personal charm and joined his team. "The south of Runan County is connected to Lujiang County. If Yuan Gonglu comes to support us, I'm afraid there will still be a lot of trouble. If the war drags on, it will be a hidden danger. Besides, our money and food are not abundant now." "My lord, why don't you contact Liu Biao of Jingzhou and ask for help from the soldiers of Jiangxia? Just threaten Lujiang to help our army capture Runan as soon as possible." Du Xi suggested. Liu Bei nodded and looked at the generals in the hall. Zhang Fei stepped forward and said loudly: "Brother, leave this to me! I will take over Runan County within a month!" Liu Bei looked at Chen Qun, who nodded slightly before agreeing. "Okay! Yide, I'll leave this matter to you. Boran will go with you. Remember, don't be careless, listen to Boran's words, and make sure to fight quickly and decisively." Now under his command, his second brother Zhang Fei is undoubtedly the most powerful general. Moreover, he is a man of great talent, and it is not impossible for him to command tens of thousands of soldiers. It's just that he has a bad temper and is prone to making mistakes, but Zhao Yan can make up for this shortcoming. After all, he is able to supervise the seven armies and reconcile the five generals, so he can still keep Zhang Fei stable. "Don't worry, big brother. Yuan Shu's subordinates are a bunch of misfits. You are nothing to be afraid of. Just wait for my good news." Chen Qun warned, "My lord, although Cao Cao and Yuan Shao will not attack us, we still need to be on guard. Please be prepared." "It doesn't matter. With Guo Rang here and more than a hundred thousand troops stationed there, even if Cao Mengde and Yuan Gonglu join forces to attack, what can they do?" Liu Bei said calmly.
(End of this chapter)