Chapter 335 Strategy to break the situation
East China Sea, Xiahou Yuan’s camp.

One morning after a light rain, Xiahou Yuan went out on patrol in person.

Seeing that the night defenders showed signs of damaging the deer antlers, Xiahou Yuan drove his horse slowly towards the scene.

He observed the traces nearby and said to his nephew Xiahou Shang who was following him: "What do you think, Boren?"

Xiahou Shang was fifteen or sixteen years old. He was walking and observing the footprints on the ground. He looked up and said, "About ten people led horses and broke through the siege. Chang Xi contacted the outside world. They might be Liu Xuande's envoy."

"Well, that makes some sense."

Xiahou Yuan followed the broken antlers to look at Tancheng. It was impossible for the defenders of Tancheng to surrender easily.

Even if the officials and people of Tancheng were forced to rebel, they would not surrender unconditionally.

When Cao's army invaded Xuzhou, Tancheng was the seat of Xuzhou's government. The existing officials and people in Tancheng were very familiar with Cao's army's style.

Even if we surrender, it must be a conditional surrender with the weapons remaining intact.

Even if Chang Xi is lured to his death, the rebels in Tancheng and Donghai must be given a treaty with sufficient guarantees before they dare to surrender.

This was what happened during Chang Xi’s rebellion. In order to appease Xuzhou, he had no choice but to be treated leniently.

It’s not that Chang Xi has a lot of face, but after Xuzhou experienced three massacres by Cao’s army, the officials and people of Xuzhou had already become frightened birds.

When Chang Xi rebelled for the first time, many people were waiting to see what would happen next.

Fortunately, the problem was properly handled at that time and did not escalate into a difficult-to-handle situation.

But now the situation is even worse. Cao's army bears the notoriety of murdering the emperor... In this situation, is it necessary for Cao's army officers and soldiers to care about their notoriety and credibility?

The people of Xuzhou could almost conclude that as soon as the city of Tancheng was opened, Cao's army would start a massacre.

This was no longer a problem that could be solved by lobbying Chang Xi and the Tancheng defenders. There were two options before them. The first was to break into the city and massacre the people there, and the second was to continue the siege.

The mood in the army has become increasingly suppressed. If it is not released after the city is captured, resentment will boil over. With good luck, the army's morale will collapse. With bad luck, they will mutiny and become the masters.

Now the army is maintained by relying on the wealth and generous rewards in the city.

The officials of the imperial court had lost their appeal, and only the cruel military laws could barely suppress the internal rebellion.

There is no way out. There are only these two options before Xiahou Yuan.

If he dares to retreat, the morale that has united the army will be dispersed. If he retreats, the army will collapse, and then dozens of rebel soldiers will be able to take off his head in exchange for a reward.

Therefore, they can only stay here and fight with Chang Xi. As long as the army is still there and there is no obvious loss, the food and fodder supplies from the surrounding areas can continue to be transported to them.

There is a bottomless abyss behind him, and Xiahou Yuan can only be nailed to death here.

It seems that only one of him and Chang Xi can survive. Chang Xi will not take the initiative to open the city and fight him in the field, and he cannot withdraw the siege and retreat.

We can only fight like this and wait for the outcome of the decisive battle in the Central Plains.

Now it seems that Xiahou Dun's Heluo area is more comfortable. Although the summer grain has been robbed, it is still self-sufficient.

There is also a relatively complete defense system, so even if he surrenders, Xiahou Dun can take the initiative to sell it for a good price.

Xiahou Yuan had no way out and could only send a military letter to Xu Du every day to report the battle situation to Cao Cao.

If the East China Sea battlefield collapses, the entire Cao army may collapse as well.

There are now four groups of Cao's army. Xiahou Dun has a garrison force of nearly 30,000; Xiahou Yuan has a field army of more than 30,000.

In addition, there were only Cao Ren's mobile army and Cao Cao's central army.

All added up, it’s less than 120,000.

This is the data of the maximum mobilization after many officials and soldiers fled after the Xudu Incident. Now there is no concern for long-term development.

Cao's army has incorporated suitable young and strong men into the army and is ready to put up a desperate resistance.

Only by stopping Liu Bei can we talk about the long-term future.

Xiahou Yuan wrote military letters very regularly, one per day.

This is also what Cao Cao must read every day. The military books are delivered to Xu Du steadily, which means that the front line is stable and Cao Cao's emotions are also stable.

On this day, after reading the battle report of the East China Sea, Cao Cao took Cao Chong to the eastern suburbs of Xudu for a walk to relax.

This year, Cao Chong demonstrated the story of weighing an elephant, which made Cao Cao love him even more.

The greater the love, the greater the pressure Cao Cao feels.

Once defeated, the blood debt committed by Cao's army in the past would inevitably be avenged on the clan's descendants.

In the East Suburb Elephant Garden, Cao Cao and Cheng Yu were playing chess under a pavilion, both of them were calm and relaxed.

But the summer heat was subsiding, and everyone knew that Liu Bei was about to launch a fierce attack.

It was because Sun Quan was defeated and collapsed too quickly that he gave up the entire Jiangdong to Liu Fu, forcing Liu Fu to concentrate on sorting out and digesting Yangzhou.

Otherwise, Liu Bei and Liu Fu would attack from both sides, and Xiahou Yuan’s East China Sea battlefield would surely collapse before the outcome of the Central Plains battlefield was decided.

It's not that Xiahou Yuan is incapable, but that Xiahou Yuan cannot drive Cao's army to attack the city; and the Donghai defenders are afraid of being massacred and will fight to the death.

Therefore, any strong attack would cause heavy damage due to the stubborn resistance of the defenders.

This kind of damage was something Xiahou Yuan could not bear, and Cao's army was unwilling to bear.

The only option in the East China Sea is a stalemate, and the best situation for Zang Ba is to wait and see.

If Liu Fu sent troops to Xuzhou, then Zang Ba would have to move. Once Zang Ba moved, Xiahou Yuan, who lacked reinforcements, would definitely be in trouble.

Fortunately, Sun Quan sent Liu Fu a big gift package that choked him to death and prevented him from being able to participate in the Northern Expedition.

Now that the eastern front is stable, we only need to focus on dealing with Liu Bei.

But what about the northern line?

How could Yuan Shang just watch Cao and Liu confront each other in the Central Plains?

If you want to defeat and repel Liu Bei, it is impossible to rely solely on Cao Cao's central army group. You must attack together with Cao Ren's army to have a greater chance of defeating Liu Bei.

Therefore, after Cao Ren's only mobile corps joined the battle, the area along the Yellow River was basically undefended.

So, will Yuan Shang send troops to intervene?

The chance of intervention before was not high, because for Yuan Shang, it would be very cost-effective to take the opportunity to eat up Xianyu Fu.

However, the Shuofang and Hexi wars launched by Guanzhong severely damaged the Xianbei, forcing the hastily ascended Xianbei king Budugen to submit and surrender to Guanzhong.

This means that the influence of Guanzhong can directly penetrate into Youzhou through Daijun and Yuyang; Xianyu Fu's will to resist will naturally be strengthened, which is not something Yuan Shang can easily swallow up.

The rise of Guanzhong would force Yuan Shang to speed up the integration of surrounding territory and manpower. For example, if Yuan Shang took over the Central Plains during the conflict between Cao and Liu, Yuan Shang's prestige would soar, and his internal cohesion would also increase dramatically, and he would naturally have the determination to fight against Guanzhong.

Therefore, Cao Cao was very worried. No matter how hard he tried, he could not figure out why the Xianbei people suddenly became so weak.

The only reasonable explanation is that Qianman and Kuitou were fighting for the country, and the Xianbei were divided and fighting internally, which allowed the passing black bear to take advantage.

If either Qianman or Kuitou survives, the overall unity of the Xianbei can be maintained. Even if they temporarily give in, they still have the courage and strength to retaliate against the Black Bear.

But both of them are dead, and the successor Budugen is not strong and has low prestige. If he doesn't want to die, he can only surrender.

The situation is now out of control, the conflict between Cao and Liu is unavoidable, and Yuan Shang's rapid expansion has become inevitable.

I just don’t know what choice Gongsun Du of Liaodong, who is relatively slow to get news, will make.

Therefore, at this moment, Cao Cao wanted to find a way to break the impasse.

As long as we can break it and pull the black bear's hind legs, as long as we can make the black bear slow down by a step... with the black bear's current expansion speed, if it is even a step slower, it will trip and fall and most likely suffer internal injuries.

Cheng Yu was playing with a handful of chess pieces, his eyes fixed on the chessboard but he was hesitant to make a move.

Cao Cao did not force him, but waited quietly.

After a long while, Cheng Yu placed a white piece on the ground and said, "If there were no Mingshou, I don't know how many people would be kings and emperors. It is because of Mingshou that the country has been restored. However, the traitors plotted to murder the emperor and put the blame on Mingshou, causing the people of the world to misunderstand. They think that the Lius in the world are so great. If they are guided a little, their true nature will be exposed."

"Zhongde is referring to the power struggle between Liu Jingsheng and his son?"

"Not only this, I heard that Jingnan intends to establish the King of Changsha. If the Changsha Kingdom is established, Liu Jingsheng and his son will not tolerate it. If the Lius of Jingzhou are separated by the Yangtze River, they will continue to fight and kill each other, and there will be a disaster of power grabbing between Liu Jingsheng and his son."

Cheng Yu was very patient and said, "There is also Liu Zhang of Yizhou. He is the youngest son of Liu Yan. His brother Liu Mao is still alive and is good at military affairs. If there are rumors that the people of Yizhou want to make Liu Mao the king, then the brothers will kill each other."

"In this way, the father and son of Jingzhou turned against each other for power, and the brothers of Yizhou killed each other for power. These two things are enough to let the world know that the Liu family is despicable and has no noble character."

Cheng Yu bowed slightly and spoke in a low voice: "As for Liu Fu of Yangzhou, he has only one son, who was named the crown prince when the country was founded and sent to Guanzhong as a hostage. Now Liu Fu controls the southeast and the entire Jianghuai region. Even if Liu Fu's original intention remains unchanged, his new and old civil and military officials will inevitably have great ambitions. If you can condescend to send envoys to lobby the people of Jianghuai to persuade them to advance, then Liu Fu's weak nature may make it difficult for him to control his civil and military officials."

"In this way, the world will have a new master, and Guanzhong can also be cut off."

Cheng Yu's voice was a little hoarse. They had to attack from all aspects at the same time, and the most important step was with Liu Fu.

When Liu Fu was elected emperor, he had no way out, and so did the new and old civil and military officials under his command.

If we join Liu Fu's camp, Zang Ba will naturally not fall behind.

In this way, the Jiangdong court would own the entire Yangzhou, the four states of Yan, Yu, Qing and Xu, and half of Jingzhou.

It is possible that Yuan Tan of Jiaozhou will also join the Jiangdong court. After all, the world cannot be without a master. It will also be of many benefits to Yuan Tan to bring Jiaozhou to join the new dynasty.

Cheng Yu's plan made Cao Cao's eyes light up.

Things like the power struggle between father and son in Jingzhou and the killing of brothers in Yizhou are all minor scenes.

It could only expose the ugly side of the Liu clan, but could not clear its own side, let alone curb the expansion of Guanzhong.

Even Liu Bei couldn't suppress it.

But if a new court is established in the southeast, the current Liu Fu can control the entire Jianghuai area in one battle, with an army of more than 100,000 under his command. He himself is from a prominent family and a famous scholar in Pei State.

And his reputation is as good as ever. To some extent, Liu Fu can almost be called an elder of the royal family.

His moral character and reputation were already better than Liu Biao's, and now he has demonstrated great civil and military skills. There will be no problem in public opinion if he becomes emperor!

Besides, judging from myself, does Liu Fu really not have the slightest desire to become emperor now?
When the Jiangdong court was newly established, its first consideration was how to deal with the rapidly expanding Guanzhong, which was a matter of survival for the court.

Secondly, we need to give a characterization of the Xudu court, such as Liu Xie’s posthumous title.

After the establishment of the new dynasty, everything revolved around the new emperor, and few people cared about the affairs of the previous emperor.

If we don't kill the old emperor, the new emperor will have no chance to ascend to the top.

Therefore, as long as they support the establishment of the Jiangdong court, they can immediately clear themselves... Even with the mediation and guarantee of the new emperor Liu Fu, the hatred between Yuan and Cao can be temporarily shelved.

After all, the black bears expanded too rapidly, and killing the Hu people was like killing dogs; when the black bears turned around to attack the Central Plains and Hebei, they would either be killed like dogs or escape.

As for staying where they are and surrendering, a look at the system of hundred households in Guanzhong would be enough to make the big families and powerful people furious.

Not only Yuan Shang, more and more forces are participating in the new Jiangdong court, and more and more people are recognizing the new court. Then Liu Bei's side will not be able to escape, and will naturally recognize and join the Jiangdong court.

In other words, Liu Bei has a place within the framework of the new court, so Liu Bei, this hard bone, can be used as his own skull and used to resist the offensive of the black bear.

Even with all the power in the world, it is impossible that we cannot suppress the black bear occupying Guanlong and Hedong, right?
If it can be suppressed, there is still the risk of internal strife in the court; but if it cannot be suppressed, then everyone must unite and go all out.

Otherwise, when the other party strikes back in the future, your family will not have peace even if you die a few years earlier.

Look at Wang Yun, whose three clans were executed. The result of confronting the black bear is obvious: you will not be at peace even if you die!

After listening to Cheng Yu's advice, Cao Cao felt as if his eyes had been opened. The more he thought about it, the happier he became: "Hearing Zhongde's words is like seeing the sun after the clouds have cleared!"

Cheng Yu felt a little guilty and bowed: "Mingsir, if this happens, the people of Yan and Yu will have no way out."

Cao Cao suppressed his smile, stood up, put his hands behind his back, and rubbed the black piece tightly in his hand.

Cheng Yu's meaning was very clear. During the Xu Du Incident, many Liang Pei scholars fled to Huainan and attached themselves to Liu Fu in order to sever their relationship with Cao Cao and also to cling to Guanzhong.

With the help of these people, Liu Fu easily defeated and swallowed up Sun Quan, but they still influenced Liu Fu and made him submit to Guanzhong.

But if Liu Fu became emperor, all the efforts of these Liang Pei scholars would be in vain.

But how can I put it? Compared to the black bear that suddenly appeared out of nowhere and whose identity is unknown, these Liangpei scholars prefer Liu Fu, who has a clean background and a clear relationship with them.

When Liu Fu proclaimed himself emperor, these people were worried, but they were actually happy and pleased to see it happen.

If the imperial court were to fall in the future, the so-called Liangpei folks would naturally be subjected to a root-out purge.

Just like the scholars in Taiyuan and Hedong today, almost the vast majority of scholars participated in the war of revenge for the Wang family. The result was that they were all exiled to Guanzhong and demoted to slaves.

This is digging up the roots. The Wang family was ruined, and the vast majority of the scholars in the two counties were ruined along with them.

They are still alive and may have the opportunity to escape slavery and re-enter the government in the future, but for the scholars of the two counties, their roots have been severed.

It is impossible to help one's own people through 'roots', nor is it possible to gain support from one's own people through 'roots'.

Cheng Yu felt guilty about this, and Cao Cao remained silent after hearing this.

After a moment, Cao Cao said, "With the methods used by the black thieves, I'm afraid they will destroy the bridge after crossing the river. Start to push this matter forward immediately. I will go to see Mr. Wenhe later to see if Mr. Wenhe has anything to add."

"Here."

Cheng Yu bowed his head and knelt down, and when he bowed his head, the guilt in his expression had disappeared.

(End of this chapter)