EBE Chapter 45 The allied forces had just disbanded, and two warlords were killed.
Chapter 45 The allied forces had just disbanded, and two warlords were killed.
"I made it clear beforehand that if General Cao couldn't provide enough provisions, I and my brothers would leave him at any time."
Xu Rong resolutely blocked the railway.
Su Yu waved his hand and said:
"As it should be."
Cao Cao, who was standing to the side, broke out in a cold sweat.
Although Cao Cao believed that Su Yu wouldn't make empty promises, and that his willingness to accept Xu Rong's more than 10,000 men meant he must have a plan.
But no matter what, at this moment, Cao Cao's territory consisted only of the small Dongjun Commandery.
This is like someone with only 100,000 in savings taking out a loan to buy an investment product worth 500,000.
If you're not careful, you could end up in debt.
"Since Mr. Su is so certain, I will follow your instructions."
Having said that, Xu Rong bowed to Cao Cao and said:
"This humble general, Xu Rong, pays his respects to my lord!"
Cao Cao quickly stepped forward to help Xu Rong up.
"It is truly an honor for me, Cao, to have Bo Yuan's assistance."
Cao Cao's brow was furrowed with excitement.
If it were Cao Cao many years later, he might not have been so moved by the surrender of more than 10,000 troops.
But now, the entire Cao camp has less than 10,000 men.
With the addition of Xu Rong's 10,000 fresh troops, Cao Cao now commanded 20,000 troops, making him at least a medium-sized warlord.
Moreover.
Xu Rong was very good at commanding troops.
Most of the soldiers under his command were strong and capable men selected from the frontier regions.
Their combat power far surpasses that of second- or third-rate ragtag armies!
Su Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He had been planning this for a long time, precisely to subdue Xu Rong and his army of over ten thousand men.
but.
Cao Cao's army will now face new problems.
What should we do if we don't have enough food?
You should know that Su Yu had just promised Xu Rong that he would provide Xu Rong with ample provisions and pay.
This is the foundation for people to risk their lives for it.
If you make a big boast but fail to secure supplies, it will be incredibly embarrassing!
After reassuring Xu Rong, Cao Cao ordered his troops to rest in Xingyang.
Since Xu Rong had already decided to join Cao Cao's camp, he naturally surrendered Xingyang City as well.
soon.
The army arrived in Xingyang.
Su Yu suggested that Cao Cao should not rush to the ruins of Luoyang, but instead send out sentries to scout out intelligence in the Guandong region.
(P.S.: Xingyang is located west of Luoyang and is a strategically important city.)
Cao Cao heeded Su Yu's advice.
Two days later, the sentry brought back the message.
A few days ago, Yuan Shao disbanded the coalition, and all the warlords returned to their territories.
But before they had gone far from Luoyang, Wang Kuang, the governor of Hanoi, was attacked by Qiao Mao, the governor of Dongjun!
This might seem a bit strange to you.
Qiao Mao was the governor of Dongjun, so who was Cao Cao?
In fact, Qiao Mao was indeed the governor of Dongjun, but Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, could not tolerate him and transferred him to the neighboring Yuzhou.
In other words, Qiao Mao, the governor of Yanzhou, was driven away from his hometown and forced to develop his career in Yuzhou.
At the same time, Cao Cao, with the recommendation of Yuan Shao, Zhang Miao and Bao Xin, became the de facto governor of Dongjun.
However, the title of prefect still remained in Qiao Mao's hands.
Qiao Mao and Wang Kuang clashed and started fighting.
Caught off guard, Wang Kuang was defeated by Qiao Mao and fled back to Hanoi.
On the way, however, he was suddenly killed by bandits.
Yuan Shao, the leader of the coalition, was deeply saddened by the death of Wang Kuang.
Yuan Shao reluctantly helped Wang Kuang manage his remaining territories.
On the other side, Qiao Mao, who had defeated Wang Kuang, was attacked by Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou.
Hashimaru died on the spot!
His remaining troops mostly scattered like birds and beasts.
Now look what's happened! The coalition had only been disbanded for a few days, and now two entire warlords have been wiped out!
Even Cao Cao, who was somewhat prepared, couldn't help but sigh.
Su Yu smiled slightly:
"My lord, Qiao Mao is truly foolish."
“His territory is not adjacent to Wang Kuang’s, yet he is eager to take action against Wang Kuang. This must be because Yuan Shao is behind it.”
"Liu Dai's elimination of Qiao Mao was a way of showing goodwill to you, my lord."
"What are your thoughts on this, my lord?"
Cao Cao sighed:
"It's not that Cao can't tolerate Qiao Mao."
"But the death of Qiao Mao is a real benefit to Cao."
"Liu Dai's actions have indeed done Cao a great favor."
"But next, I'm afraid I'll have to publicly declare my support for Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou?"
Cannibals have short mouths and short hands.
Liu Dai and Qiao Mao had a personal grudge, and their relationship was almost irreconcilable.
As the nominal governor of Yanzhou, Liu Dai also had the advantage of being a member of the Han imperial family. In theory, he should have had no problem securing his position in Yanzhou.
But who could have imagined that such a small place as Yanzhou would be torn apart?
The first was Bao Xin, the Chancellor of Jibei.
As mentioned earlier, Bao Xin had made great military achievements and enjoyed considerable prestige in Yanzhou.
Bao Xin always obeyed orders but not summons when dealing with Liu Dai.
Whether or not to pay attention to Liu Dai when faced with important matters depends entirely on his mood.
Faced with such an arrogant and fierce general, Liu Dai wanted to deal with him, but he did not have enough strength to eliminate Bao Xin!
Apart from Bao Xin.
Zhang Miao was also a difficult person to deal with.
The most prosperous prefecture in Yanzhou was Chenliu Prefecture.
It's worth noting that even the current emperor, Liu Xie, was titled "King of Chenliu" before he ascended the throne.
This shows that Chenliu was indeed the core and most valuable area of Yanzhou.
This most important prefecture was not in the hands of Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, but was controlled by Zhang Miao!
What did Liu Dai think of this?
In other words, Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, had neither the most capable soldiers nor the wealthiest resources in Yanzhou.
The governor's position had very limited real power.
Liu Dai wanted to change the status quo, but he was afraid that Bao Xin and Zhang Miao would join forces.
To know.
If Bao Xin and Zhang Miao joined forces, and Cao Cao were also involved, it would be very possible for them to eliminate Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou!
After much deliberation, Liu Dai concluded that the solution lay with Cao Cao.
In any case, Cao Cao, as a native of Yuzhou, was an outsider in the Yanzhou region.
Within Yan Province, Cao Cao's foundation was far weaker than that of Bao Xin and Zhang Miao, two natives of Yan Province.
Winning over Cao Cao to counter Bao Xin and Zhang Miao was undoubtedly the best strategy!
Moreover.
From the outside perspective, Cao Cao was Yuan Shao's number one subordinate.
If we win over Cao Cao, wouldn't that be the same as winning over Yuan Shao, who is behind Cao Cao?
With the support of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, Liu Dai was confident that he could deal with Bao Xin and Zhang Miao!
This was Liu Dai's plan!
All I can say is that imagination is beautiful, but reality is cruel.
There is no room for two tigers in one mountain.
Cao Cao, who was determined to unify Yan Province, could not possibly allow Liu Dai, the governor of Yan Province, to complete the unification.
Moreover.
Liu Dai was a member of the Han imperial family and also held the legitimate position of Governor of Yanzhou.
If Cao Cao really helped Liu Dai get rid of Bao Xin and Zhang Miao...
After becoming powerful, who else could Liu Dai's next target be but Cao Cao?
Whether it's a matter of mutual dependence or for one's own strategic planning.
Cao Cao would never join forces with Liu Dai.
But it cannot be denied that...
Liu Dai's elimination of Qiao Mao indeed resolved a potential problem for Cao Cao.
For a while.
Cao Cao was caught in a dilemma, unsure of what to do.
……