Yanzhou, the governor's office of Dongjunzhou.

Last year, Cao Cao's father Cao Song was warmly received by Xuzhou's governor Tao Qian, and sent Zhang Kai, a small school under the tent to escort Cao Song and his group to Yanzhou. Unexpectedly, Zhang Kai was determined to see the money and led more than a hundred guards from his subordinates to kill all the family Xiaohe entourages, including Cao Song, and then robbed money and fled.

When the bad news came to Yanzhou, Cao Cao was heartbroken and had not yet entered for two consecutive days, and he was wailing every day. Then, while Cao Cao submitted a letter to the surrounding princes, saying that he wanted to avenge his father, he led his troops to attack Xuzhou and killed Tao Qian to comfort the spirit of his deceased father in heaven. While sending fast cavalry to convey the letter, Cao Cao personally led his soldiers to wear mourning clothes and white silk on his head, and rushed towards Xuzhou in a mighty manner.

In a few days, Cao Cao personally led a large army to attack Xuzhou. He passed by the counties along the way, killing endlessly, without leaving any chickens and dogs, and his methods were extremely brutal, and his soldiers were extremely powerful. Tao Qian, the governor of Xuzhou, led his troops to fight, but he was defeated in a row, losing to the Yanzhou soldiers under Cao Cao, and could not stop his sharp edge. Forced to helplessness, Tao Qian had to lead his troops to defend the city and resist step by step, thus delaying Cao Cao's army's pace of advancing counties and counties and consuming Yanzhou army's money, grain and weapons.

The two sides fought for several months, until the severe winter came, and Cao Cao's army had already set aside and the war was in a stalemate. At this time, nearly half of Xuzhou counties had fallen into Cao Cao's hands, but they were unable to capture the Xuzhou capital, and did not annihilate Tao Qian's main army. Under the pressure of food and grass, Cao Cao's original intention of attacking Xuzhou was not realized. Instead, because of his excessive killing, the people of Xuzhou counties united and tried their best to resist. The war lasted until the end of the year, and the weather was cold and the food and grass in Yanzhou were exhausted and he could not continue to fight. Seeing this, Cao Cao could only lead the army to retreat to Yanzhou, and fight again when the flowers bloomed in spring.

Winter goes and spring comes, and the first year of Xingping arrives as scheduled.

After the spring, the Yanzhou army was ready to go again, and the sky above Dongjun was filled with lingering murderous aura.

Dongjun County Governor's Office.

In the main hall, Cao Cao was in the main seat and sat on the high hall.

In the hall, the chief secretary Xun Yu, chief clerk Xun You and the military officer Cheng Yu and other staff members all sat on the right. On the left were a group of Cao and Xiahou clan trusted generals. Everyone sat upright, carefully observing Cao Cao's expression, and secretly pondering the upcoming war and the situation in the world.

"Xun Yu, how are the army preparing for the food and grass?" In the hall, Cao Cao looked calm. As he spoke, a confident and calm smile appeared on his face.

Cao Cao is 39 years old and is nearly 100 years old. He is more than seven feet tall, his facial features are ordinary, his appearance is not high, his eyebrows are sparse, and his horoscope is black beard. He is a black beard that is more than an inch long under his jaw. He is wearing a black jade crown, a dark red brocade robe, a black dragon sliver belt, and black velvet brocade boots. His figure is not burly, nor is it tall. However, he is quite strong, with wide shoulders and a slightly fat belly. His eyes are deep and restrained, like a deep valley and cold pool, unfathomable, and his eyebrows are extremely majestic.

Sitting high in the main seat, Cao Cao looked easy-going, decent and generous, showing the majestic posture of the overlords of the princes.

At the foot of the road, after hearing Cao Cao's inquiry, Xun Yu stood up and reported: "Report to the lord, it is now spring famine, and our Yanzhou area has suffered many years of wars and has suffered repeated locust plagues. The people's lives are in trouble, and refugees are everywhere, so they are not engaged in farming. Therefore, because the food and grass are tight, they are unable to supply the cost of the army to go to war. The subordinates are incompetent, and after making efforts from multiple sources, they only have to raise the food and grass for a month, and the rest are powerless."

When saying this, Xun Yu looked calm, neither humble nor arrogant, showing the temperament of a wise man and capable official.

"Well, it's great!" Cao Cao nodded slightly and waved his hand to signal Xun Yu to sit down. He immediately browsed and pondered: "Last year, our army went to Xuzhou to fight against Tao Qian and seize the six counties of Xuzhou. If the battle was successful, we would not be burdened by money and food. We can get all the troops, horses, money and food accumulated by Tao Qian in Xuzhou for many years, and our strength has increased greatly. Unexpectedly, although Tao Qian was old and weak, he was deeply supported by the people of Xuzhou, resisted step by step, and united as one, so that our army worked hard on an expedition and returned in vain.

However, the hatred of killing my father is irreconcilable, and this matter will never be stopped! If Tao Qian cannot be removed, what face should I, Cao Cao, stand between heaven and earth, and what face should I, Cao Cao, stand with the princes, stand together in the world? We failed to go to Xuzhou in the previous period, which caused our Yanzhou army to lose face. Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu and others were probably watching me, Cao's joke!

Now that winter is coming, spring is coming, our army is suffering from lack of food and grass, and cannot fight for a long time. On the other hand, Tao Qian, Xuzhou, after the battle last year, would inevitably strengthen the city, recruit soldiers and horses, defend the city to the death, and always beware of us. With one increase and the other, it will be difficult for our army to conquer Xuzhou in the short term, and it will be a big driver!"

In the hall, Xun Yu, Xun You and Cheng Yu and other staff could naturally hear the helplessness revealed in Cao Cao's words, and seemed to not attack Xuzhou for the time being. After careful consideration, Cao Cao's words were reasonable and wise. However, they also heard that Cao Cao was very unwilling to be willing to speak, because Cao Cao used Tao Qian's subordinates to kill Cao Song and sent troops to Xuzhou. This excuse that was enough to cover up the population's food was really hard-won. If Cao Cao stopped the army at this time, it would mean giving up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it would be difficult to find an excuse to attack Xuzhou in the future.

"Report to the lord, attacking Xuzhou is necessary, and we must not give up!" Just as everyone in the hall was thinking secretly, Xun Yu spoke with a decisive expression, stood up again and bowed to continue, "It is a fact that our army has shortage of food and grass, and it will not be able to completely solve the food and grass required by the army in the short term. However, the lord cannot stop the army because of this. Instead, he should actively train soldiers, prepare for war, and be ready to send troops to conquer Xuzhou again at any time!

At the same time, the lord had to send a quick horse to send a letter of war to Tao Qian, saying that our army would send troops soon and attack Xuzhou again. In this way, the princes of the world could learn about the lord's determination to capture Xuzhou, so that they would not dare to act without any action and watch the success or failure of Xuzhou. Our army could temporarily postpone the dispatch of troops and actively prepare for war. After the spring plowing, the lord led his troops to attack Xuzhou. Even if our army still could not capture Xuzhou in one fell swoop, they would still send troops to attack the city, which would show the lord's determination to avenge his father.

Only in this way can we show that the lord is determined to win the situation of Xuzhou, which will shock the surrounding sluts and princes, prompting them not to underestimate our army, nor will they covet Xuzhou. If the lord gave up Xuzhou, Yuan Shu, Jizhou Yuan Shao and others were likely to take advantage of Tao Qian's unpreparedness to send troops to attack Xuzhou. By then, even if the lord wants to capture Xuzhou, he will be forced by the powerful strength of Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu and others, and can no longer send troops as calmly as he is now. Therefore, even if there are many difficulties, the lord cannot give up Xuzhou. He must overcome the difficulties and take Xuzhou no matter what,"

As Xun Yu finished speaking, his uncle Xun You immediately stood up and left the list. He continued to say, "Wen Ruo said very well. Xuzhou is located in the throat of the Central Plains. Since ancient times, it has been a place where military strategists must compete for. How can we give up easily? Moreover, after several years of governance by Tao Qian, the six counties in Xuzhou are large in population and sufficient in money and food. They are actually rare and wealthy prefectures among the Central Plains states. If the lord wants to conquer the Central Plains, he must capture Xuzhou and obtain his money and food as a place for our army to make progress in the future.

Although our army occupied Yanzhou, it failed to recover the entire territory. Chenliu and Jizhou border counties are still in the hands of Zhang Miao, Lu Bu, Yuan Shao and others. Furthermore, Yanzhou is a place of four battles. It is located in Qingzhou in the east, and the Yellow Turban thieves ravaged; it is adjacent to Jizhou in the north, Yuzhou in the south, and Yuan Shu in the south; it is bordered by Sili in the west, and it is always facing the military front of the Western Liang army. Therefore, Yanzhou is still good as a foundation, but it is not a place to achieve great achievements."

Xun Yu and Xun You's uncle and nephew said. Hearing Cao Cao's expressions changed slightly, he couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Seeing that the two Xuns had made suggestions, Cheng Yu, who was in the army, could not speak out without saying anything and stayed out of the matter. So he stood up and said respectfully: "Report to the lord, Wen Ruo, and Gongda said very well. Last year, the Chang'an court enfeoffed the princes of all over the world, Tao Qian of Xuzhou, Liu Biao of Jingzhou, Gongsun Zan of Youzhou, Gongsun Du brothers, Yuan Shao of Jizhou and Yuan Shu of Yuzhou, all of them were granted the imperial title, and even the small princes of Chenliu Zhang Miao, Lu Bu and other small princes got the official positions they wanted. Only the lord not only did not get the position of Yanzhou governor, but instead obtained the title of a general of Zhenbei. On the contrary, Jin Shang, recommended by Yuan Shu, was granted the title of governor of Yanzhou.

Now, although the lord has killed Jin Shang and seized Yanzhou and promoted to the governor of Yanzhou, it is injustice and has not received the official imperial edict of the court, so it is difficult to convince the people. The reason is that our army is slightly inferior to that of Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Liu Biao and other princes, which makes Li Jue and Li Li, who are in charge of the court, take us seriously. In view of this, their subordinates strongly agree to send troops to capture Xuzhou and quickly strengthen our army's strength. This is an urgent top priority!"

"Hmph!" Cheng Yu's words hit Cao Cao's pain point, causing him to be furious and scolded with anger: "Li Jue, Guo Si, Xu Rong, these traitors are really hateful! In the past, this group of people dominated the court and the country, and were rampant in the world, with such a great reputation. Unexpectedly, these people were not enough to do anything, but were defeated by Li Li, a yellow-mouthed child, and instead became a hawk under Li Li's command. It was really a big deal!

Now Li Li's son holds hundreds of thousands of Xiliang troops in his hand, sweeping the two states of Xiliang, secretly controls the emperor, set up Yongzhou privately, and takes charge of the governor of Yongzhou, as he is a young man, and is the governor of Liangzhou, and is a general of the guards, and has a position as the three dukes. Poor, the general of Xiliang who was once powerful in the world, Li Jue, was named Grand Sima, who assisted the country and was in charge of the court, but in fact he was a useless puppet. The real person in charge of the court was his nephew Li Li!

But for some reason, Li Li's son was unable to get along with me, Cao Cao, and made trouble for him. He was granted the position of General Zhenbei, but he did not grant the title of the governor of Yanzhou to me. It was really hateful!"

As soon as Cao Cao said this, a lingering shadow was cast on the hearts of everyone in the hall, and an extremely depressing atmosphere quietly enveloped the lobby.

In fact, the reputation of Wuwei Li Li had spread all over the country two years ago, from all over the princes to the people, almost everyone knew it. However, the people only knew that Li Li wiped out Xiliang and pacified the chaos of barbarians in the west, but they did not know that he had secretly held the power of the world and was extremely powerful. However, the civil and military officials of various prefectures and counties knew the situation in Xiliang, and the reputation of General Li Li became a layer of haze that was hidden in the hearts of the world's heroes and overlords, making them feel as if they were on their backs and bows in their throats, and were as secret as deep as they were.

However, due to the situation, the princes of the Central Plains could not only not fight against Li Li, Xiliang, but also needed to pay tribute to show their goodwill every year. After all, the Xiliang army at this time was no longer as before. Although the Xiliang army commanded Dong Zhuo, although the troops in command of the Xiliang army were strong, Ma Teng, Han Sui and others were restrained in the rear of Liangzhou, but now Li Li in Wuwei was not the case. After Li Li surrendered Li Jue, Guo Si and other old generals of Xiliang, they monopolized the military power of Xiliang, integrated the Xiliang army, and swept the entire Xiliang territory, without any worries.

In the past two years, the entire Xiliang region has been recuperating. The Xiliang army has prepared its troops and is ready to fight, and can send troops to capture the Central Plains at any time. Faced with the emergence of Li Li in Wuwei, the princes in the Central Plains were frightened. They could only speed up the attack on cities and territory, actively strengthen their own strength, and be careful to guard against the mobilization of the Xiliang army, but no princes were willing to provoke Li Li of Xiliang and his Xiliang army under their command.

Under such a general environment, Cao Cao, who was always ambitious, was undoubtedly under the greatest pressure, because most of the Yanzhou and the Sili department he occupied were at the forefront of the Western Liang army's capture of the Central Plains, and was the first to bear the brunt of the Western Liang army, and was always threatened by the powerful military front of the Western Liang army.

"All the generals obeyed the orders, and each battalion rectified the troops and armies, actively prepared for the war, and then fought in Xuzhou after entering the summer!" Seeing that everyone in the hall were absent-minded, Cao Cao stood up, gave a stern order, and then left.

—————————————— (To be continued)

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The Hu Ben Zhonglang worshipped him.
Chapter completed!