kvmb Chapter 330 Zhuge Family
Chapter 330 Zhuge Family
Chapter 330 Zhuge Family
Cao Cao always felt that there was something wrong with Guo Jia, but he was so focused on how to deal with Dong Zhuo that he had no time to pay much attention.
When the three men arrived at Qiao County, Cao Hong immediately came to report, saying, "General, Guo Si knew that the reinforcements had arrived and had already retreated. I was afraid that it was a trap, so I did not dare to chase him."
Cao Cao nodded calmly and said, "Well done, go ahead."
"I'll take my leave!" Cao Hong retreated upon hearing this.
Liu Bei and Sun Ce knew very well that Cao Cao was doing this just to get away from Yuan Shao and force Yuan Shao to send troops.
After Cao Cao finished his act, he smiled and said to Liu Bei and Sun Ce, "Lord Xuande, Bofu, please come in. Let's discuss the strategy of advancing together."
Liu Bei and Sun Ce naturally did not say anything and followed Cao Cao into the government office.
Liu Bei was followed by his two inseparable brothers, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Sun Ce was followed by two generals left to him by his father, Cheng Pu and Huang Gai.
Sitting next to Cao Cao was Guo Jia, who had not had a drink for many days. He was in very bad condition, and his face alternated between pale and red.
Cao Cao didn't care about Liu and Sun's fatigue from the long journey. He spread out the map and said seriously, "From Qiao County, go east for 70 miles and you will reach Xiaguan. This pass is not big and not difficult to attack."
At this point, Cao Cao thought of the trap he had fallen into last time, and after a moment he continued, "Our difficulty lies behind. Here, Pinghu Pass, is built along the mountains and rivers. It is impossible to bypass it. There are mountains on both sides, and the entrance is narrow, like an inverted bottle. It is the only way to enter Xiang County..."
Liu Bei looked at the place Cao Cao pointed at, vaguely impressed, and said, "I know this place. Did Dong Zhuo build a pass here?"
Cao Cao stared at Pinghu Pass and nodded, saying, "Dong Zhuo has been recruiting young men and constantly building fortresses over the years. He has a plan in mind."
Sun Ce just watched and didn't care too much.
His goal now is very clear and simple - to gain military merit, win the trust of Cao Cao and the court, and inherit the title of Marquis of Wucheng.
Only in this way can he gain a firm foothold in Wu County and inherit the legacy left by his father!
Cao Cao glanced at the two men and said in a deep voice: "I intend to march quickly, break back to Xiaguan first, and then go straight to Pinghuguan to fight a decisive battle with Dong Zhuo!"
"General Cao, do you mean that Dong Zhuo will gather his troops here?" Liu Bei asked puzzledly.
Upon hearing this, Cao Cao hesitated for a moment.
Guo Jia smiled and said, "General Liu, our coalition army is nearly 200,000 strong. Dong Zhuo must be terrified. Even if he wants to retreat, he can only go to Xuzhou. Xuzhou is backed by the East China Sea and there is no way to retreat. Therefore, Pinghu Pass is the place where both of us will decide the victory and life and death."
Liu Bei nodded thoughtfully and said, "Will the outcome be decided at this Pinghu Pass?"
Cao Cao stood up, his eyes burning, looking directly at Liu Bei, and said, "Lord Xuande, it's already September. We don't have much time. We can't delay until winter!"
Liu Bei really wanted to tell the news he got from Yuan Shao’s court - Yuan Shao just wanted to consume them and reap the benefits!
But Cao Cao had no reason not to know, so he raised his hand and said, "As long as Dong Zhuo is defeated, we will do whatever it takes!"
With Liu Bei's support, Cao Cao felt relieved. He turned to Sun Ce and said, "Bofu, I have sent a letter to the Grand Marshal's Mansion. The Grand Marshal replied that as long as you make military achievements, he will report to His Majesty."
Sun Ce immediately raised his hand and said loudly: "I will obey General Cao's orders!"
Cao Cao was suddenly filled with heroic spirit. He looked back towards Xiaguan and said, "We have nearly 100,000 soldiers, far more than Dong Zhuo. Let's rest for a day and send out troops tomorrow to destroy Dong Zhuo and protect the country!"
One hundred thousand?
Liu Bei and Sun Ce looked at each other subconsciously.
Liu Bei had less than 20,000 soldiers and Sun Ce had less than 10,000 soldiers. How could Cao Cao have so many soldiers? Or was it just a bluff?
The three of them discussed the strategy of sending troops in detail, and it was not until the evening that Liu Bei and Sun Ce left.
Cao Cao stretched and felt sore all over. When he turned around, he found that Guo Jia had fallen asleep beside him.
Cao Cao observed Guo Jia's face and saw that he was as pale as paper. He couldn't help but frown, took his coat, walked forward quietly, and covered Guo Jia with it.
"Well……"
Guo Jia slowly woke up, looked at his clothes, and quickly sat up, saying, "Your subordinate..."
"Filial piety,"
Cao Cao interrupted him and asked in confusion: "Feng Xiao... who did you bet with that forced you to stop drinking?"
Seeing that Cao Cao hadn't noticed, Guo Jia rubbed his face with a smile and said, "I made a bet with myself and lost. Don't worry, General. It's only a matter of a month. Have you discussed it with Envoy Liu and Sun Bofu?"
Cao Cao didn't delve into it after hearing this. He sat back and said with a serious expression, "Feng Xiao, can you really win in one battle?"
Guo Jia picked up the teacup, took a sip of the cold tea, shook his head thoughtfully, and said, "Dong Zhuo has been building fortresses for many years, and he is ready to fight against the court for a long time. The Han Dynasty is declining, and people all over the world are waiting for the court to fall apart. Now the south has gained momentum, and signs of heroes competing for supremacy are beginning to emerge. As long as Dong Zhuo survives this year, it is hard to say what will happen next year."
Cao Cao frowned and asked, "Is it that dangerous?"
Guo Jia showed a rare worry on his face, and said: "If the coalition forces cannot wipe out Dong Zhuo this time, the court will fall into an extremely passive situation, and may even have to mobilize a large army to conquer again. The northern states seem stable, but they are actually very fragile. Once the court withdraws its troops, various rebellions will surely arise again. How can the court, without money, soldiers, and food, rule the world? By then, I'm afraid that your majesty's decree will not be able to leave Luoyang City..."
Cao Cao's expression became more and more solemn, and his narrow eyes almost narrowed together.
Guo Jia held the teacup, his thoughts flying, and said: "In this battle, the general cannot lose, even if he cannot win. Even if Yuan Shao and others withdraw, the general must stay and continue to confront Dong Zhuo. Only in this way can the court be stabilized, the Han Dynasty will not fall apart, and the general will have a foothold. By then, the court will rely more on the general and will have to provide the general with soldiers, equipment, money and food to increase the general's strength. Most of Dong Zhuo's subordinates are from Xiliang, and they are homesick. In addition, Dong Zhuo is not tolerated by the gentry and is isolated from the world. As long as the general blocks them, Dong Zhuo will be defeated in two years at most. The general will wipe out Dong Zhuo and go south to pacify the various princes. The unprecedented achievement will be within your reach..."
Listening to the "grand occasion" described by Guo Jia, Cao Cao felt excited, as if he had already seen it: he led his army to wipe out Dong Zhuo, and then went south to pacify Yuan Shao, Liu Biao, Shi Xie, Liu Yan and other traitors with great momentum, and then was conferred a title of nobility and appointed prime minister in Luoyang City, with all the ministers paying their respects to him!
But after a moment, Cao Cao calmed down, frowned, and looked at Guo Jia, wondering: "Fengxiao, you seem to talk too much recently?"
In the past, although Guo Jia was not stingy with this sentence, he never spoke at such a length.
Guo Jia sat up straight and said with a smile: "I am worried that you have quit drinking for a long time and your brain is not in good condition. I will tell you everything I can in advance to avoid any mistakes."
Cao Cao didn't think much about it, waved his hand and said, "What's the good of quitting drinking? I've asked Miaocai to look for it. He will definitely find a good wine that Fengxiao likes."
Guo Jia just smiled and said, "General Liu, Sun Bofu should be useful. General, don't let them go ahead. The Imperial City must have a lot of secret information. General, you can ask for it. In addition, I remember that the court has planted a lot of people around Dong Zhuo. Can they be used?"
Cao Cao pondered for a moment and said, "When I was in the palace, His Majesty accidentally mentioned Kong Jun and others to me. They can be used. There are also some secrets that I have to report to His Majesty for permission."
Guo Jia nodded, holding the teacup, and said nothing.
Some things may seem hidden, but in fact many people in the government and the opposition know about them.
The emperor in the palace did not trust the court officials as much as he seemed to. Not to mention the traitors like Dong Zhuo and Yuan Shao, there were also the Yingchuan Party in the court, including Prime Minister Xun Yu, Xun You, Zhong Yao and others. There were people planted by the palace in the government offices and so on.
Even Cao Cao knew the truth and had even realized that some people were planted in the palace for surveillance.
Xun Yu, Xun You, Zhong Yao and others were aware of these matters, and Cao Cao was also clear about them.
But for things like this, you can only know about them, you can't ask too many questions, and you can't think too much about them.
After waiting for a while, Guo Jia put down his teacup, looked at Cao Cao, and said calmly: "General, Yuan Shao...if there is any misconduct, you can take the initiative!"
Cao Cao was startled, his face gloomy, and asked, "Strike first?"
For now, Yuan Shao is the main force in the fight against Dong Zhuo, and people all over the world are looking forward to it. If Cao Cao suddenly sends troops to attack Yuan Shao, he will probably be condemned by thousands of people, and the court will not be able to tolerate it, and he will have no place to stand in the world!
Guo Jia nodded slightly and said, "Although it is a bit risky, His Majesty in the palace is a man with a keen eye. As long as he can understand the general's intention, then everything will be fine."
Cao Cao understood that what Guo Jia said was "as a last resort".
After thinking for a while, Cao Cao's eyes flashed fiercely and he said, "No need for Feng Xiao to tell me this. If that time really comes, why would Cao Cao care about himself!?"
Guo Jia hummed, and after thinking it over again, he said, "There is nothing else to worry about. According to my guess, Dong Zhuo does not have much food and grass. Even if he survives this winter, next year will be very difficult. If we block Pinghu Pass, as long as the general does not fall into the trap, we will basically be invincible."
Cao Cao felt a little embarrassed when he thought about the trap he had fallen into last time. However, his expression remained unchanged. Instead, he said with concern, "Fengxiao, don't worry too much. Just take good care of yourself. So, you don't have to go with me tomorrow. Rest in Qiao County for a few days, and then go to Pinghu Pass."
Guo Jia was thinking about secretly finding a doctor to see him, and he said, "Okay. General, remember, Dong Zhuo has many capable people under his command. When dealing with him, you must not take risks, and you must be cautious."
Cao Cao said: "Don't worry, Fengxiao, just take care of him."
Guo Jia knew that Cao Cao was a meticulous man and could not be fooled by ordinary tricks.
'Hope everything goes well.'
Guo Jia resisted the urge to cough, his face turning red and white as he spoke silently.
I don’t know if it’s because of coughing up blood, but he always has a bad feeling.
On the other side, after inspecting the military camp, Liu Bei grilled meat and drank wine with his two brothers, with a sad and helpless look on his face.
"I originally thought that Yingchuan and Runan are places of cultural emeralds with many great sages. I wanted to take the opportunity to visit them, but I didn't expect to be in a hurry and have to march again." Liu Bei drank, feeling quite depressed.
Liu Bei knew very well that his talent was limited, so he went around looking for wise men. However, after all these years, he never found a "great wise man". Instead, because of his running around, he couldn't keep any "small wise men". He was in his thirties, not only had he not accomplished anything, but he was also surrounded by only two sworn brothers. It was quite lonely.
Zhang Fei tore at the lamb leg and said, "Brother, if you ask me, there is no good scholar. With me and my second brother here, we can help you achieve your great cause!"
Liu Bei shook his head secretly, feeling disappointed.
He thought of Guo Jia. If this man was willing to assist him, why would he run here from Xuzhou, live under someone else's roof, and lose his dignity as a governor?
Guan Yu ate and drank politely, and said, "Brother, didn't Zhuge Xuan say that he wanted to recommend his nephew to join your shogunate?"
“I can’t find anyone.”
Liu Bei looked at him and said, "When Yuan Shao defeated Yuan Shu, his whereabouts were unknown. Now we don't know whether he is alive or dead."
Guan Yu said nothing more. He didn't think much of literati.
Liu Bei drank a glass of wine silently, but what he was thinking about was Zhuge Xuan's other nephew - Zhuge Kongming.
This person is not well-known, but Zhuge Xuan said that his talent is no less than that of his brother Zhuge Jin.
Unfortunately, this person fled from Langya County to Jingzhou to avoid disaster, and should be in Yuzhang County now, so it is difficult to see him.