EBE Chapter 44 The Ambition to Dominate Yan Province! Su Yu Formulates a Strategy for Cao Cao
Chapter 44 The Ambition to Dominate Yan Province! Su Yu Formulates a Strategy for Cao Cao
"Pfft!"
The long sword in Xu Rong's hand crashed to the ground.
His psychological defenses had completely collapsed without him even realizing it!
Yes!
If Lü Bu rebelled, would Xu Rong follow him and betray Dong Zhuo?
If Lü Bu is willing to offer him a promise, Xu Rong would most likely be willing to follow Lü Bu and take a gamble!
"General Xu, I have no other intention than to hope that you can recognize whether Dong Zhuo is truly someone you should follow."
Xu Rong smiled wryly:
"So what if it is? So what if it's not?"
"Could it be that Xu would become an outlaw and expect to support his brothers by doing so?"
Don't be influenced by the Water Margin and think that becoming an outlaw is something to be proud of.
In fact, there are specific rules and considerations involved in becoming an outlaw.
Throughout history, most mountain bandits have ultimately met their end by being wiped out.
In the eyes of local officials, bandits are a source of military achievements and political accomplishments!
Even worse, some have resorted to "raising Gu poison" (a form of poisonous insect infestation).
What is the practice of raising Gu poison?
There were no bandits in the area originally, but local officials created a bandit king out of the blue for the sake of their political achievements!
With the overt and covert assistance of local officials, this mountain bandit may rise to power rapidly.
But when the forces under his command accumulate to a certain extent, they will be used as achievements to eliminate him!
In the end, the most tragic victims, besides the mountain bandits, were the local people who suffered at their hands.
Xu Rong's Luoyang Imperial Guards numbered over ten thousand, which was no small number.
The Luoyang Imperial Guards numbered approximately 20,000.
The other 10,000 men were in Hu Zhen's hands.
If this were during the Three Kingdoms period, perhaps all three kingdoms—Wei, Shu, and Wu—would have hoped for Xu Rong's joining them.
The contribution of 10,000 fresh troops to the war effort is self-evident.
The expectation for Xu Rong's joining was that the three kingdoms of Wei, Shu, and Wu were already established regimes, fully capable of absorbing Xu Rong.
But what about during the chaotic late Han Dynasty?
Aside from Dong Zhuo, who represented the Han court, the only other figures in the Guandong region with the power to recruit Xu Rong were Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu.
Even Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu needed the consent of the powerful families of Ji and Yu provinces who were behind them if they wanted to take Xu Rong in.
Recruiting soldiers is not something that can be done casually.
Recruiting soldiers but not providing them with food and pay is simply outrageous!
therefore.
Xu Rong had no idea that his ten thousand men, apart from Dong Zhuo, had no other way out.
Becoming an outlaw is definitely not advisable.
Moreover, Xu Rong's original intention in joining the army was not to lead his brothers to poison the people!
Xu Rong's heart sank. Su Yu suddenly stopped talking and instead reached out to pinch Cao Cao.
Cao Cao understood immediately; Su Yu was leaving him room to maneuver.
Cao Cao raised his hand and said:
"General Xu, I am unworthy, but I am willing to provide your brothers with sufficient provisions!"
“If I, Cao, cannot do this, General Xu may lead his troops to leave me at any time.”
"After all, the combined strength of Cao's troops is not even as great as that of General Xu."
"you……"
Xu Rong was speechless for a moment, and looked at Cao Cao with a suspicious gaze.
If it were Yuan Shao or Yuan Shu who were trying to win over Xu Rong, Xu Rong might have believed that they could actually provide supplies.
But Cao Cao...
Forgive Xu Rong's bluntness, but Cao Cao had fewer than ten thousand soldiers under his command, and his territory consisted of at most only Dongjun.
This size is really not enough to be impressive.
in contrast.
Compared to Cao Cao at this time, powerful warlords like Tao Qian, Gongsun Zan, and Yuan Shu were all behemoths.
Not to mention that Cao Cao provided Xu Rong with provisions.
Even the question of whether Cao Cao could provide enough food and pay for his ten thousand men was uncertain in Xu Rong's opinion.
Seemingly sensing the suspicion in Xu Rong's eyes, Cao Cao blushed.
"General Xu, don't look down on my lord."
"In your opinion, my lord currently only has Dongjun, which makes him a minor vassal and not a particularly powerful figure."
"But I can tell General Xu with absolute certainty that my lord's territory will expand to the entire Yanzhou within a year!"
"If General Xu does not believe it, he can wait and see."
Who else but Su Yu would speak up for Cao Cao?
Upon hearing this, Xu Rong tried to discern something from Su Yu's gaze.
But Su Yu's eyes were clear as water, showing no trace of empty talk.
Now, Xu Rong really couldn't figure out what was going on.
Common sense led him to have serious doubts about Su Yu and Cao Cao.
After all, Cao Cao's current size is what it is; he's not a major warlord at all.
But Su Yu's behavior suggested he possessed strong self-confidence.
It's as if Cao Cao has now become the overlord of Yan Province!
"General Xu, you only have one chance."
"If you are unwilling to join my lord, then take your soldiers to Chang'an and continue to follow Dong Zhuo!"
Su Yu once again resorted to provocation.
Xu Rong was caught in a deep dilemma.
Continuing to follow Dong Zhuo was like setting a limitation for one's life.
One glance is enough to see the future.
He did not follow Dong Zhuo, yet he was full of high-stakes gambles.
If Cao Cao could not become the overlord of Yan Province, then he would not be qualified to support Xu Rong and his 10,000 troops.
Actually.
Let alone Xu Rong.
Even Cao Cao himself felt somewhat uneasy.
Compared to Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Tao Qian, and others, Cao Cao's starting point was much lower.
Currently, there are four forces in Yanzhou: Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou; Bao Xin, the chancellor of Jibei; Zhang Miao, the prefect of Chenliu; and Cao Cao, the prefect of Dongjun.
Among them, Liu Dai held the highest official position.
He was not only the governor of Yanzhou, but also a genuine member of the Han imperial family.
The second was Bao Xin, the Chancellor of Jibei.
Although Bao Xin's official rank was not as high as Liu Dai's, he was a capable military commander and made significant contributions during the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
Third, there was Zhang Miao, the prefect of Chenliu.
Zhang Miao was a scholar, known as one of the "Eight Chefs of Yanzhou," and enjoyed great prestige among the literati of Yanzhou.
Chen Gong is currently serving under Zhang Miao.
The powerful families of Yanzhou, represented by Chen Gong, also held Zhang Miao in high regard.
Compared to the three mentioned above, Cao Cao had the least influence in Yanzhou.
Firstly, Cao Cao was actually from Qiao County in Yu Province, making him an outsider in Yan Province.
Secondly, Dongjun, which Cao Cao occupied, was not a particularly prosperous area.
The Dongjun region alone was simply not enough to support Cao Cao's army of over ten thousand men.
The reason why we were able to have more than 10,000 troops was because of the help of Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, Cao Hong and other relatives of the Cao and Xiahou families!
Without the help of these brothers...
Given Cao Cao's current capabilities, he probably isn't much stronger than someone like Wang Kuang, the governor of Hanoi.
Time passed by minute by minute.
Xu Rong, Su Yu, and Cao Cao stared at each other, as if frozen in time.
at last.
When the setting sun shone on Su Yu.
Xu Rong smiled suddenly...