Chapter 75: The Scheme of Xudu

  In the northern part of Xudu City, adjacent to Jian'an Palace, there is a mansion that rivals the imperial palace in grandeur, covering an area of hundreds of acres, with carved beams and painted rafters, flying eaves and overlapping ridges, and over a hundred buildings of various types, on a magnificent scale.

  This is the residence of Han Chancellor Cao Cao, since the troops returned north from Runan County, the soldiers of Cao's army were exhausted, while Yuan Shao in the north was busy suppressing the internal chaos in Hebei and had no time to look south.

  Cao Cao then concealed his banners and silenced his troops, accumulating strength, drilling his army, waiting for the autumn to launch another war against Yuan Shao.

  Unexpectedly, a piece of intelligence from Hebei caused Cao Cao's thoughts to waver.

  Under the night sky, two rows of armored warriors stood in front of the Prime Minister's mansion, on high alert. At this moment, a horse carriage slowly stopped in front of the main gate of the Prime Minister's mansion. A guard rushed down from the steps and opened the door of the carriage.

  Cheng Yu walked out of the carriage and smiled slightly: "So late, hasn't the Prime Minister rested yet?"

  "The Prime Minister is waiting for you in the study, please follow me!"

  Cheng Yu is already over sixty this year, but he has a good way of nourishing his body, and his spirit is clear and his energy is sufficient. He walks with a brisk pace and can still ride horses to follow the army in battles north and south.

  Tonight, Cao Cao specially sent someone to invite him. Now that the hour of hai has passed, all sounds have ceased, and it is just when people are about to rest. However, the Prime Minister has sent someone to find him, and Cheng Yu vaguely feels that there must be some urgent matter.

  He followed the guard into the gate and went all the way to Cao Cao's study.

  Inside the study, the brazier was burning brightly, making the room warm and cozy like spring. In the corner of the wall stood a bronze incense burner with a hundred beasts, wafting a faint wisp of smoke that filled the room with a subtle fragrance.

  Cao Cao sat on a window seat, with several single seats already set up in front of him. At this time, Cao Cao was chatting and laughing with another important staff member, Xun Yu.

  Xun Yu was about 40 years old, about seven feet eight inches tall, with a face as white as jade, elegant and refined in appearance, and a perfect handsome man.

  But Cao Cao did not value him for his handsome appearance, but because of his outstanding talent, he was one of the five most important strategists under Cao Cao's command, and was praised by Cao Cao as 'my Zhuge Liang'.

  Cao Cao and Xun Yu were chatting happily when a guard outside the door reported: "General Zhenwei has arrived."

  Zhenwei General is Cheng Yu's title, Cao Cao nodded, "Let him in!"

  In a moment, Cheng Yu walked into the room, knelt down and saluted, "Your subordinate Cheng Yu pays his respects to the Prime Minister!"

  Although Cheng Yu was titled as General Who Inspires Awe, Cao Cao usually referred to him as "Sir". He was the oldest among Cao Cao's five top advisors and Cao Cao showed special respect for him.

  "Please take a seat, sir!"

  Cao Cao smiled slightly and gestured for Cheng Yu to sit down, then apologetically said: "It's so late, I'm really sorry to disturb your rest, sir!"

  "The Prime Minister has something on his mind, and Cheng Yu naturally rushes over. This is the duty of a subordinate, so the Prime Minister doesn't need to feel apologetic."

  Cheng Yu smiled and nodded at Xun Yu, but thought to himself: Even Xun Yu has come, could it be for Yuan Shao's matter?

  For the past two days, they received intelligence from Hebei that Yuan Shao was seriously ill and would likely not live for much longer. Several of Yuan Shao's sons and nephews were vying for his position, openly and secretly struggling with each other to the point of intense heat.

  At the same time, Cao Cao's strategists were also divided into two factions. Some advocated taking advantage of the chaos to attack Hebei, while others sought stability, believing that attacking during a period of mourning was not the act of a gentleman.

  Cheng Yu also advocated for holding back and not moving, but he was not doing it for the sake of any gentlemanly conduct. Instead, he was waiting for Yuan Shao to die from illness, for the Yuan brothers to turn against each other and start infighting, and then he would send out troops to defeat them one by one.

  Cao Cao picked up a letter of intelligence from the table and handed it to Cheng Yu, laughing: "This is just sent from Jingzhou, take a look! It's really interesting."

  Cheng Yu was slightly taken aback, a letter from Jingzhou? He thought for a moment, could it be that the Prime Minister wanted to discuss the matter of Jingzhou, and so he smiled and asked: "Is it that Liu Xuan has another story?"

  Cao Cao looked up and laughed, "That's right, this kid won't rest until he turns Jingzhou upside down."

  Since returning from the conquest of Ru Nan, Cao Cao has been paying close attention to Liu Xun's situation in Jingzhou. The incident at Yangshan left a deep impression on him, and it was the first time he had ever been so concerned about an enemy youth.

  He had already received several pieces of intelligence about Liu Jue, and was familiar with the situation in Jingzhou. Unexpectedly, this little guy had severely taught Zhang Yun, the naval commander, a lesson again, which made Cao Cao applaud and laugh loudly.

  Cheng Yu finished reading the intelligence report and furrowed his brow. "Liu Biao is taking this opportunity to purge the Qu Department!"

  "I know this!"

  Cao Cao was uninterested in Liu Biao, but now he took a great interest in Liu Xun, and laughed: "You say the fire at Youjun's place, was it set by this little brat himself?"

  "The prime minister, this letter says it was he himself who released it."

  "Is there? I didn't see it."

  Cao Cao hastily took over the intelligence and carefully read it again, unable to help but stroke his beard and laugh loudly: "Indeed, it's well-written. I didn't notice it before, but it's just as I thought - it's really his own trick, not bad! This kid is to my liking, very much in line with my tastes."

  Cheng Yu couldn't help but smile wryly. The Prime Minister was indeed like that, regardless of whether it was an enemy or a friend, as long as he liked them, he would lavish praise without hesitation. It was the same with Guan Yunchang back then, and after all these years, not a single bit had changed.

  Cao Cao seemed to understand Cheng Yu's thoughts, and smiled slightly: "I just saw the matter of this young man, I think it's very interesting, tonight is not about him, but because he triggered my thinking about Jingzhou."

  Cheng Yu suddenly understood and smiled slightly: "I suppose you can't forget what happened in Yuzhou?"

  "Hmm! Last time in Junan County, this little guy left a deep impression on me, just like reading a book, it piqued my interest, I always wanted to know how he would perform in Jingzhou. So far, his performance has been pretty good, and it's worth continuing to observe him."

  Cao Cao said with some regret, "Last time the intelligence report said that this young man was eight feet tall and had an extraordinary appearance. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see him in person, but I've ordered them to paint his portrait, which will be sent over soon."

  Xun Yu hesitated for a moment, then advised: "Prime Minister, he is after all just a young man. At least in the next few years, he won't be able to stir up any great waves in Jingzhou. Why must you expend your precious energy on him? I think you are paying too much attention to him, even more than to Yuan Shao. It's a bit of a case of overemphasis."

  Cao Cao smiled and waved his hand, "The matter of Yuan Benchu is of course important, but usually thinking about military and national affairs all day, occasionally having a little fun, it's not bad either. Mr. don't worry too much, this young man's affair also involves Jingzhou, so let's talk about him first, actually want to discuss the plan for Jingzhou."

  Xun Yu smiled, since it was only the Prime Minister's private hobby, he no longer interfered, but didn't know why the Prime Minister suddenly thought of Jingzhou, could it be that he wanted to conquer Jingzhou?

  Cheng Yu sank into thought for a moment, then continued: "Actually, the key to Jingzhou lies in the interests of several major families. Although the north is not yet pacified and we have no time to estimate Jingzhou, there are some things we can do first. We can contact the families and promise to protect their interests. Once the north is pacified and our great army marches south, the families of Jingzhou will surrender, and Jingzhou will be easily conquered in one battle."

  Cao Cao nodded, "Actually, we have been working on the matter of contacting the noble families of Jingzhou. The Cai and Kuai clans have clearly expressed their willingness to be loyal to the Han dynasty, which is actually a euphemism for surrendering to me. However, Liu Biao's attitude was tough, refusing to send his son as a hostage to Xudu, and even almost killed Han Song two years ago. Huang Zu and Liu Bei are also hardliners. Now there are many voices in Jingzhou opposing us, and few advocating for compromise. I am hesitant about whether to station heavy troops in Nanyang, first eliminate Liu Bei in XinYe, kill the chicken to scare the monkey, and weaken the hardline faction in Jingzhou."

  "It can't be the Prime Minister!"

  Xun Yu hastily opposed, "Now that Yuan Shao is critically ill and will soon leave the world, he will inevitably trigger a scramble for power among his sons. At this time, the Prime Minister should hold back his troops, keep an eye on Hebei, wait for opportunities, and prioritize stabilizing the south."

  "If the Chancellor's army presses down on Nanyang, it will inevitably force Liu Biao and Sun Quan to form an alliance, or contact the Yuan family in Hebei. If the Yuan brothers reconcile, a pincer movement from both north and south will be formed, which is unfavorable to the war situation in Central Plains."

  Cao Cao thought for a moment and then asked Cheng Yu, "What does Zhongde think?"

  Cheng Yu was very aware of Cao Cao's mind, it was because Yuan Shao was seriously ill and about to die, the Yuan family's sons were vying for power, which would inevitably lead to a civil war within the Yuan family. Therefore, the Prime Minister wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to go south and eliminate Liu Biao, and then return north to clean up the remaining forces in Hebei.

  Thinking is good, but many things are not as simple as thought.

  Cheng Yu smiled slightly and said, "To be honest, I support Wen Ruo."

  "Why is this?" Cao Cao asked in a deep voice.

  He knew that Cheng Yu had always been cautious and meticulous in considering problems, perhaps there was something he hadn't thought of, so he gazed at Cheng Yu, waiting for his explanation.

  Jingzhou has the Han River to the north and the Yangtze River to the south, with a dense network of rivers and streams within its borders. Has the Prime Minister considered training a naval force?

  "Of course it is needed!"

  "That maneuvering water army has been going on for at least a year, and there have been troop movements. The elite troops in Jingzhou are about 140,000 to 150,000. The Prime Minister thinks that with such momentum, one battle will be enough to settle the matter. At least 500,000 troops need to be mobilized. If not, it can only be a protracted war. What if Sun Quan and Liu Zhang come to reinforce? Liu Bei will write another letter to Xiliang, asking Ma Teng to send troops to attack Guanzhong."

  Even if we win this battle in the end, it will necessarily be a miserable victory. If at that time, the northern Yuan clan has already unified internally, then do we still have the power to pacify the north?

  "Or when the war in the south reached its later stages, we were deeply mired, while the Yuan clan had already unified and their great army was pressing our borders. How could we have withstood it? Although these things are somewhat exaggerated, worldly affairs are like a game of chess - we too find it hard to predict everything."

  Xun Yu also advised: "Chancellor, Liu Biao actually has no great ambitions, he only knows how to defend and not take the initiative, this is our great fortune. Our current priority is still Hebei, after thoroughly pacifying Hebei, we can then head south without any worries. If the Chancellor is still uneasy, you can order Xiahou Dun to lead an army of 30,000 to garrison at Nanyang, to restrain Liu Biao's main force. In this way, Jiangxia will certainly be empty, and Sun Quan will surely have a change of heart. Once Sun and Liu clash, in the end it will be the Chancellor who reaps the benefits."

  Cao Cao was a man of great talent and vision, but he only had a slight change of heart for the time being, thinking of taking advantage of the internal strife of the Yuan family to sweep through Jingzhou with his army. However, many details were not taken into consideration, especially that the northern soldiers were not accustomed to water battles, requiring a lot of time and effort to train, which contradicted his idea of quick victory.

  He also knew that once the time was spent too long, the north would inevitably change. At this time, it was a bit unwise to plot against Jingzhou. It's better to secretly support the Jingzhou aristocracy, stir up internal strife in Jingzhou, and at the same time provoke Sun Liu to fight each other, let them both suffer, and finally come to reap the benefits.

  Cao Cao smiled and said, "Since both of you strongly oppose it, I'll have to listen. The matter of going south to Jingzhou will be put on hold for the time being. However, what Wen Ruo said makes sense, so I won't mind creating conditions to let Liu and Sun's families fight each other."

  "Halt for a moment," Cao Cao muttered to himself, "If I can take this opportunity to eliminate Liu Bei, it would undoubtedly be like pulling out the thorn in my eye. But I wonder if Yuan Shao has the guts to do so."