The next day.
"I wonder what General Kong You thinks about the alliance this time?”Cao Cao went straight to the point. Last night, he had basically discussed with everyone that the bottom line of the negotiation was to have some benefits before forming an alliance.
It was a good time to probe the other party's trump card. Knowing oneself and knowing the enemy was also the key to diplomatic negotiations. Cao Cao was a rare all-rounder at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Whether it was internal affairs, foreign affairs, war, military strategy, or poetry, he was a top-notch talent. At this moment, his performance in the diplomatic negotiations was also very outstanding.
"Now that Chang 'an is in chaos, Dong Zhuo's troops from Xiliang and Bingzhou are fighting, and Lu Bu from Bingzhou has been defeated by Hongnong and Henan. I'm sure Lord Cao is very clear about these things.”Sun Qian said slowly. Cao Cao was close to Henan, so he knew what was happening around him. If Henan wasn't in ruins, it would have been annexed by Cao Cao.
Now that a lone wolf like Lu Bu had suddenly appeared, Cao Cao was already extremely fearful, but he was helpless. Although Lu Bu had been chased out of Chang 'an by the Western Liang Army, he had to ask himself if the Hanoi Army had fifty percent of the elite combat strength of the Western Liang Army. If they didn't, how could they fight against the invincible Bingzhou winged cavalry of Lu Bu's army?
Even though Lu Bu had been defeated by the Western Liang Army, if it weren't for the peerless genius Jia Xu's plan and the equally powerful Western Liang cavalry, who else in the world could easily defeat the elites of Bingzhou led by an invincible general?
In terms of strategy, even ten Lu Bu couldn't catch up with Cao Cao. However, even if Lu Bu only had 3,000 Bing Province winged cavalry warriors, with the current strength of the Hanoi Army, even 30,000 soldiers would not be able to stop this peerless general.
Moreover, it was said that Lu Bu had Gao Shun, Zhang Liao, and other famous generals who were both wise and brave, and whose battle prowess was not inferior to the Xiahou brothers or the Cao brothers.
Thus, Lu Bu's army was like a fishbone stuck in the throat of the Hanoi Army, but it was a hot potato that could not be touched.
Cao Cao nodded to show that he understood what Sun Qian said.
"Lu Bu is currently leading tens of thousands of troops to occupy the dilapidated Hongnong and Henan. The army is short of food and will definitely pillage everywhere.”Sun Qian summarized Guo Jia's analysis.
"The ones who have caused the most trouble are probably the relatively rich Hanoi and Yanzhou.”Sun Qian pointed out the key point. Cao Cao nodded again. He and Cheng Yu had already analyzed this, so he couldn't deny it.
"Thus, General Kong You hopes to join hands with Lord Cao to eliminate Lu Bu.”Sun Qian revealed the purpose of this trip. Cao Cao already knew about this yesterday, but he didn't immediately nod his head this time.
"With the current strength of my Hanoi Army, I won't hide it from Gongyou. It's really difficult for us to fight against the brave Bingzhou Army.”Cao Cao's description of the difficulties in Hanoi was true.
Sun Qian nodded in agreement. "Lord Cao need not worry about this. As long as the Hanoi army moves south, Lu Bu's army will not dare to attack in full force. We will be able to block them from the front. When they are in a stalemate, the Hanoi army will take the opportunity to attack the vital points of Lu Bu's army and kill Lu Bu in one fell swoop.”Sun Qian finally revealed the details of the mission. He agreed that Cao Cao's army was only there to hold them back, but he only said half of it.
Letting Cao Jun play the role of a profiteer who hit Liu Bei while he was down was really the need for Guo Jia's strategy to balance and contain Liu Bei's army.
Luring the Cao army without moving was more effective than directly joining the battle. This was because not only could it distract Lu Bu's attention and military deployment, but more importantly, it could also contain Liu Bei's army, who might have other motives.
If it wasn't for a genius like Guo Jia, how could he have come up with such a brilliant plan?
However, if he were to only be a distraction, the benefits to Cao Cao would be too little. Cao Cao could sit back and watch the tigers fight, waiting for our army and Lu Bu's army to be defeated before making a decision.
Although Hanoi was also a potential target for Lu Bu's army, Yanzhou, which was relatively richer, was a piece of fat meat in Lu Bu's eyes. Thinking about how they could gain a lot just from looting, the Bingzhou Army was good at fighting in the field and not good at attacking cities, so it was an ideal piece of fat meat.
In comparison, Yuan Shu's fortified Nanyang and the densely populated Hanoi were much inferior. He believed that Lu Bu would not choose these two places to attack first.
"In addition to getting rid of Lu Bu, if Lord Cao can promise to provide 3000 Xiongnu horses to our Beihai Army every year and not to expand south for three years, General Kong You will support Lord Cao to be promoted to the position of Bing Prefecture Overseer.”Sun Qian finally threw out a heavy bait.
This was a surprise that Cao Cao and Cheng Yu had not expected. Due to it being so shocking, even with their shrewdness, they couldn't help but be shocked.
Although Bing Prefecture did not have a large population, its food production was very limited. It was not even self-sufficient.
However, it was the main source of cavalry and fine horses for the Great Han Empire for hundreds of years. Although Cao Cao had already begun to take over Taiyuan, he was still not in the right. Moreover, his military strength was limited and he could not control the powerful Xiongnu tribes, making the price of horses very high.
If they could obtain Bingzhou, Cao Cao's army would be reborn. Whether it was in terms of strategic depth or military strength, Cao Cao would be able to become a powerful force in the north in a short period of time. He would be able to compete with Liu Bei and Yuan Shao. Sun Qian was indeed Cao Cao's lucky star.
Cao Cao and Cheng Yu looked at each other and saw the joy in each other's eyes. However, they couldn't understand why they were willing to do this. This was simply a pie in the sky. If it was just to restrain Lu Bujun, this was too much.
Sun Qian naturally knew the reason why Cao Cao and the others were moved. If Guo Jia had not explained the deeper reason behind the strengthening of Cao Cao's army against Yuan Liu, he would never have understood why he had done so. Therefore, Cao Cao would not reject the two conditions that he had added at the last minute.
The temptation was so great that Cao Cao could not find a reason to refuse. In comparison, Sun Qian's two conditions were too small. Although 3,000 good horses was not a small number, with the opportunity to conquer the Xiongnu in Bingzhou, it was very possible to produce 7,000 to 8,000 good horses a year.
Not going south for three years was not worth mentioning. To be able to completely subdue Bingzhou within three years, to have a stable foothold, and to have the strength to compete with Liu Bei, Yuan Shao, Liu Yu, and the others was already an extremely difficult task.
This was a great opportunity. Cao Cao and Cheng Yu exchanged glances several times before deciding.
Kong Cao once again formed an alliance. Although they didn't say who they were targeting, as the Cao army moved southward, they were still able to gather their forces. Anyone with a brain knew the intentions of the two armies.
Qiushou received the news in Ye City and thought about it for a day. Finally, he sighed.
"My lord, this must be Yanzhou's plan. Kong Rong's army is killing two birds with one stone. This plan is so clever that even Cao Cao will have to think about it for many days before he can figure out the trick. Kong Rong's strategists were so outstanding that they could come up with such a natural plan. With such people around, Yanzhou can no longer plot.”Jizhou Mu Liu Bei's house. Qiushou said dejectedly.
"However, this also means that Kong Rong's army is temporarily unable to split up. This may be the best opportunity for our army to deal with Yuan Shao.”After figuring out the crux of the matter, Ju Shou no longer had any thoughts about Yanzhou and focused on planning his attack on Yuan Shao. As a great talent, he would never let go of any possible opportunity.
How lucky was Liu Bei to be able to use such a talent?
"My lord, Kong Rong and Cao Cao must have formed an alliance to deal with Lu Bu's army. The Black Mountain Army had suffered heavy losses in Puyang, so it was no longer a threat to Liu Bei. This time, Cao Cao's army had joined the expedition against Lu Bu, so they did not pose a threat to Liu Bei's army. However, Liu Bei, who had taken over half of Jizhou, would not be content. I'm afraid they'll make some moves against our army. Our army can also take this opportunity to wait for fatigue and dampen their spirit. Then, we can launch a thunderous attack to solve the problem of Jizhou.”Tian Feng, Shen Pei, and the others in Yuan Shao's army also studied the news for a long time. Although they were not as thorough as Ju Shou, who had been paying attention to the plot against Yanzhou, they could guess the intentions of our army.
Thus, Tian Feng and the others, who were as resourceful as Ju Shou, immediately thought that this was a good opportunity to solve the problem of Jizhou.
Although Guo Jia, who was in Puyang, did not calculate that this plan would have such a far-reaching impact, it seemed to have achieved the strategic goal of removing the threat from the north.
As long as Sun Qian had another breakthrough in Chang 'an, he would obtain the right to conquer Lu Bu. Our army can attack Lu Bu at any time.
The day of the decisive battle between our army and Lu Bu's Bingzhou Army, one of the three elite cavalry armies and the strongest general of the day, has already entered the countdown.
Would they be able to return victorious from this tough battle like in the past?
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。