Chapter 398 Reaching a Contract
Liu Bei, who hurried out of the city for investigation, was bitten by Cao Cao's elite cavalry and fought to the death. He could not even return to Xiaopei City, and he could not take care of his brothers, wives and children. He was left with only one way to flee north in a hurry.
This is one of the biggest dark histories in Liu Bei's life. Assuming that Liu Bei can unify the Three Kingdoms, this record must be deleted.
Any trace left behind is Liu Bei's indulgence to the historian.
Therefore, Liu Feng had already made a plan. As long as he gathered elite troops in Xiaopei, he could reach out in all directions and support various battlefields.
The north can rescue Cao Cao, the Rencheng, Lu State, and Langya, the south can rush to rescue Runan, the west can control the Liang State, and the east can shield Xiapi and Donghai. It is really the best gathering point.
However, Liu Feng hoped to take advantage of the last window period to incite Zhang Xian to rebel and take advantage of Liu Biao's illness to kill Liu Biao.
Therefore, Liu Bei had to rely on Liu Bei to personally serve as the commander-in-chief on the northern route.
Cao Cao looked at the map and felt a little depressed.
There was no way, who made almost all the territory along the Yellow River belong to him and Yuan Shao.
Liu Feng and his son had no territory on both sides of the Yellow River.
As mentioned before, Yanzhou is actually long from east to west and narrow from north to south, stretching along both banks of the Yellow River.
Even though the territory of Dongjun on the north bank of the Yellow River was transferred to Yuan Shao, this did not prevent the entire Yanzhou from forming a long border with Yuan Shao along the Yellow River.
He really wanted to let Liu Feng and his son join the battlefield as soon as possible, but the problem was that they were not on the border with Yuan Shao.
We can no longer cede land to Liu Feng and his son. Even if Yingchuan can be taken back soon, his actual control area will be smaller than that of Liu Feng and his son.
Liu Feng was also hesitant. After all, people like Lu Bu, Chen Gong, and Zhang Miao were all Cao Cao's G-spots.
If you say it, it will make the other party fall out, but if you don't say it, this is indeed an anti-Yuan force that can be won over.
After hesitating again and again, Liu Feng looked at Cao Cao, whose mood seemed to have suddenly deteriorated, and finally swallowed these three names again.
"Uncle, there is one more thing that the generals in Guanzhong cannot ignore. Although this person has a lot of grudges against the Yuan family, he has no ethics and may be a trouble in the future."
Liu Feng turned to the rebellious generals in Guanzhong and reminded Cao Cao: "If it is possible, we should defeat them as soon as possible. This man's military morale is low now, his food and grass are scarce, and he is like a broken house. All it takes is one kick from his uncle, and it will collapse." . As the saying goes, an opportunity cannot be missed and it will never come back again. Uncle must not ignore it.”
After hearing Liu Feng's words, Cao Cao was reminded that there was such a large group of great men in Guanzhong. After losing the leadership of Dong Zhuo, this group of Xiliang warriors almost degenerated into bandits.
But as Liu Feng said, although these people are as insignificant as flies and ants gathering together, if they come out to be disgusting at a critical moment, they may do bad things to them.
If there is no chance, that's it. If you have the spare energy, it would be better to clean them up first.
"My dear nephew, don't worry. I already know about this matter and have made my own decision."
Cao Cao was already moved by Liu Feng and agreed immediately.
Immediately afterwards, Liu Feng suddenly asked: "Uncle, I heard that you had some friendship with Han Sui of Xiliang. I wonder if it is true?"
Cao Cao thought for a moment and laughed: "It's true. I met him several times at Benchu's banquet and we had a good conversation. I remember that he was appointed Yilang in the court at that time, and it was Jincheng who recommended him. Xiaolian, Han Wen said that he was both civil and military, and he was quite courageous. The former general He Jin also heard of his name and met him. br>
Liu Feng said seriously: "Uncle, does he know where Han Wenyue is now?"
Cao Cao frowned and shook his head slowly.
From Liu Feng's tone, he could tell that Han Wenyue's position at this time was very important, but he really didn't know where Han Sui was at this time.
"Is it possible that he is not in Xiliang?"
Liu Feng shook his head first, and then nodded: "He is indeed not in Xiliang now, but in Bingzhou!"
"Bingzhou!?"
Cao Cao let out a hissing breath, and then cast his eyes on the map again, his heart pounding.
"Uncle, a few years ago Han Sui and Ma Teng led the Xiliang rebels to invade Guanzhong. They were defeated by Dong Jun of Xiliang. They were expelled from Fengyi on the left and Fufeng on the right. After that, they began to turn."
Liu Feng pointed to Shangjun Road on the map: "Han Sui and Ma Teng have invaded Bingzhou and captured Shangjun and Xihe counties. They are now quite powerful. If we can get their help, they can not only ensure the security of Guanzhong, but also Contain Yuan Shao's partial troops from Bingzhou."
Shangdang and Taiyuan are both just in the north of Hanoi County. Passing Taihangxing and going south, you can go straight to Hulao Pass.
If Han Sui and Ma Teng sided with Cao Cao, not only would Guanzhong be safe, but the pressure on Hanoi would also be greatly reduced, avoiding a side attack by Yuan's army from the north.
But if Han Sui and Ma Teng sided with Yuan Shao, then Yuan's army in Bingzhou could not only easily go south via Taihangxing to attack Hulao Pass, but they could also take the Fenhe ancient road out of Hedong and threaten Guanzhong.
As a result, Luoyang will be besieged on three sides and will be lost if it defends for a long time.
"Uncle, the Xiliang Qiang people are greedy for fame and money, so they only need to use the name of the emperor to reward their chiefs generously and promise high officials to win them over."
After Liu Fengjian said something, he said no more, believing that what Cao Cao did might not be worse than what he did.
After hearing this, Cao Cao nodded slowly, not sure whether he listened or not.
After a moment of silence in the room, Cao Cao suddenly asked: "I have a question, whether my nephew is willing to tell the truth."
When Liu Feng heard this, he thought for a moment and asked instead, "What does uncle want to know?"
"You and Xuande, how many troops are there to fight now? Once Ben Chu goes south, how many troops and horses will be able to reach the line of the Yellow River within three months?"
Cao Cao's biggest headache now is that his territory is almost a straight line along the Yellow River and lacks depth. If you don't want to destroy your own territory, you can only seek a decisive battle with Yuan Shao, or block the opponent on the north bank of the Yellow River.
No matter which of these two points, Liu Feng and his son need timely support.
He needs the guarantee and sincerity of Liu Feng and his son.
Liu Feng pondered for a moment and replied firmly: "Now Feng and his father have a total of more than 140,000 troops, of which up to 60% are elites capable of fighting. If Da Sima crosses the river within the year, I am afraid that my father and I will only be able to mobilize them within three months. Forty thousand men can reach the front line of the Yellow River. If it can be delayed for another year, it will be doubled."
Forty thousand this year, eighty thousand next year?
Cao Cao was surprised and happy. What surprised him was that Liu Feng and his son already had more than 100,000 troops, including 80,000 to 90,000 elites capable of fighting.
But it's normal to think about it. There is only one Jingzhou, Liu Biao, with a hundred thousand troops, and this Jingzhou is still incomplete. Nanyang County, the best county in the world, has long been in ruins.
And Yuan Shao, with Jizhou as the core, has hundreds of thousands of troops.
Liu Feng and his son now own two and a half states, including Runan County, the second largest county in the world, with a population of 140,000 and a small army.
However, Cao Cao was more confident in the elite combat power under his command. After all, his troops were fought out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and Liu Feng and his son had never encountered a strong enemy so far. Smelly fish and rotten shrimp are naturally different from each other.
Yes, Yuan Shu is just a fish belly in Cao Cao's eyes and is completely unacceptable to him.
Who allowed Yuan Shu to have an advantage of three times the number of troops, but Cao Cao was able to pursue him from Yanzhou all the way to Yangzhou in just half a month?
If Cao Cao hadn't deliberately let the enemy go, Yuan Shu's life would have been lost in this battle. It's interesting to say, don't think Tao Qian will be hacked and become a good guy in later generations.
But in Cao Cao's eyes, Tao Qian's abilities and threats were far superior to Yuan Shu's.
When fighting Yuan Shu, Cao Cao was confident and confident, but when fighting Tao Qian, he sacrificed his wife and son, leaving a family behind.
Therefore, Cao Cao felt that his elite troops should be able to gain the upper hand against twice as many Liu troops. If they were twice as strong, they would be evenly matched. If they were the same number, they would surely be able to win easily.
As for Liu Jun's combat power, I'm afraid it's even worse than Yuan Shao's army. After all, Yuan Shao's opponent is the Northern Tiger Gongsun Zan.
"Next year's 80,000 troops should be sufficient. However, if there are only 40,000 troops within this year, it may not be enough. By then, another 20,000 to 30,000 troops will be needed."
Cao Cao added worriedly that he was also worried that if Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan successfully negotiated peace this year, Yuan Shao's army might enter Hanoi by the end of the year.
Considering that Liu Feng and his son still had some troops stationed in Langya, Rencheng, and Lu State, if these troops were included in the 40,000 reinforcements, the gap in strength would be too big.
Regarding Cao Cao's request, Liu Feng thought twice and did not dare to give a positive answer.
"My nephew and my father should try their best to adjust by then. I will give my uncle the greatest help."
Now Yuan Shao's pressure is really too great, with hundreds of thousands of troops.
In the Battle of Guandu, Yuan Shao had an army of 100,000 on the middle road, but it does not mean that Yuan Shao only had an army of 100,000. These 100,000 elites were carefully selected from the military exercises in the north after Yuan Shao defeated Gongsun Zan.
If you look carefully at the historical data, you will find that Yuan Shao was almost completely defeated in the division of troops in the middle and early stages, and even Yan Liang and Wen Chou died in the battle.
But during the decisive battle with the main force, Yuan Shao still had an army of 100,000, which could be said to be supplementary during the battle, and his reserve force was very strong.
And once the main force fights decisively, the unlucky one will be Cao Cao. After changing his previous victorious attitude, he was defeated by Yuan Shao head-on, and the oppression was miserable.
There is just one point that is quite paradoxical. Yuan Shao divided his forces and was defeated in a hundred battles, but he actually lost in the end because of his decision to hold the group in the middle and no longer divide his forces.
Cao Cao divided his troops and won every battle, but his final victory came from holding a group in the middle.
The reason is that although Yuan Shao's division of troops has been defeated, it has effectively contained Cao Cao's elite forces, making Cao Cao's core elite force exhausted and fighting fires everywhere.
But as soon as Yuan Shao's division of troops tactics ceased, Cao Cao's elite troops were freed up. The next unlucky thing was Yuan Shao's logistics supply line.
As we all know, the core of Cao's victory and Yuan's defeat in the Battle of Guandu was the Battle of Wuchao.
The essence of the Wuchao War is food.
The reason why the Battle of Wuchao has such a high status is precisely because Xu Huang and Shi Huan intercepted Han Meng's grain transport team.
It was this successful grain interception operation that put Yuan Shaojun into a situation of food shortage, and then the fatal battle of Wuchao happened.
Cao Cao was really afraid of Yuan Shao, because Yuan Shao was too powerful.
Liu Feng knew this, so he did his best to agree to Cao Cao's request for help while ensuring his strategic intentions.
The current situation is completely different from the situation in the original time and space, and has undergone earth-shaking changes.
It is very likely that the Battle of Guandu will not happen again, and the main battlefield may instead be transferred to Hanoi.
Liu Feng would also be worried that Boss Cao wouldn't be able to handle Yuan Benchu.
"Good!"
Cao Cao nodded with satisfaction and turned to another matter: "My dear nephew, are you interested in becoming a state pastor?"
Liu Feng was stunned. This was originally a trap he dug for Cao Cao. Why did it look like Cao Cao was going to give it back to him?
Liu Feng's feeling was indeed correct. Cao Cao then said: "With only one million shi of food per year, the imperial court can hand over Jiaozhou to the management of the wise nephew."
Good guy, this heart is really dark.
Liu Feng couldn't help but was speechless, how dare you ask for one million stones.
Jiaozhou is indeed a large grain producer, and the annual tax on grain is between one and two million.
Boss Cao wants to take away one million shi of food as soon as he opens his mouth. From the looks of it, he seems to want Liu Feng to give him free shipping. This is going too far.
"Three hundred thousand stones, I can guarantee that they will be shipped to Henan."
Considering Cao Cao's pressure and the value of Jiaozhou, Liu Feng paid a price.
"Okay!"
Unexpectedly, Cao Cao agreed immediately. His speed was so fast that Liu Feng even had the illusion of falling into a trap.
In fact, this is very reasonable. Cao Cao is far away in Henan, three to four thousand miles away from Jiaozhou, and it is all mountainous. It is meaningless to send anyone to Jiaozhou, and it will distract his precious strength.
The special location of Jiaozhou allowed only three people, Liu Biao, Liu Feng and Liu Zhang, to exert influence. Among them, Liu Zhang had the least influence because of the most difficult road and his personality of being content with staying at home.
Liu Biao of Jingzhou has always wanted to control Jiaozhou. Since he can't eat it, he might as well throw it out to worsen the differences between Liu Feng and Liu Biao.
Liu Biao is a die-hard member of Yuan Shao's party, and Cao Cao is now very wary of him. If he can instigate and intensify the conflict between him and Liu Feng, then Cao Cao will not only feel more at ease with Liu Feng and his son, but he will also be able to gain more from Liu Feng and his son. Greater help.
Cao Cao was so cheerful, Liu Feng couldn't help but wonder if he had been fooled.
So, he added: "The imperial court has approved the candidates for the prefects of each of our counties."
"Yes!"
Cao Cao agreed without hesitation. The net food income of 300,000 shi per year was almost as much as what he earned from his current farm in Yingchuan.
The result of the secret talk was very successful, and both Cao Cao and Liu Feng were deeply satisfied.
Cao Cao's military strength is unquestionable. It is said that the Three Kingdoms are novices pecking each other, mainly because they have never separated their kingdoms.
At that time, Guangwu also unified too quickly and had no experience in separatism.
Cao Cao's biggest problem is not his weak military ability, but his ability to follow the wind and waves.
As long as he wanders around a few times, there will be no Three Kingdoms at all.
However, Liu Feng is not too worried at the moment. Cao Cao's tailwinds are almost all concentrated in his advantageous period.
With Cao Cao's current strength, he will definitely be at a disadvantage against Yuan Shao, and he will definitely not be able to make waves.
(End of chapter)