Chapter 151: Cao-Tao Alliance
At this time, Cao Cao had not yet fallen out with Yuan Shao, and the two sides were still allies.
To be more precise, the relationship has just changed from master-servant to alliance.
Before this, Yuan Shao had always treated Cao Cao as his subordinate, just like Sun Jian under Yuan Shu and Liu Bei under Gongsun Zan in the original historical trajectory.
However, as Cao Cao became the governor of Yanzhou and Yuan Shao, due to the existence of Tian Ze, failed to become the overlord of Hebei despite occupying Jizhou, the status of both sides changed.
Identity is determined by strength. Now Yuan Shao and Cao Cao have tacitly changed their attitudes towards each other.
But after learning about Tian Ze's situation, Cao Cao realized that Yuan Shao's situation now seemed no better than his!
"Yuan Benchu, I'm afraid it's going to be difficult." Xun Yu said in a complicated tone.
Yuan Shao was originally the biggest enemy in the strategy he formulated for Cao Cao, and would also be the most powerful warlord for a long time in the future.
He is the son of three generations of high officials, well-known throughout the world, with profound cultural background. He himself has outstanding abilities, is supported by his family, and has many civil and military officials under his command. At the beginning, Tianhu, Jizhou is rich, and You and Bing are strong armies.
The reason why Xun Yu chose to leave Yuan Shao in the first place, apart from Yuan Shao's shortcomings in employing people, was largely because Yuan Shao did not have the position that Xun Yu wanted.
Yuan Shao had too many civil officials under his command, such as Xu You, Feng Ji, and Xun Chen.
Although Xun Yu believed that he was more capable than these people, he could not resist the fact that Yuan Shao did not employ people based solely on their talents, but rather focused on their close relationships with their factions.
So Xun Yu chose the potential stock Cao Cao, just like Zhuge Liang chose Liu Bei.
Of course, it was also because Xun Yu was equally loyal to the Han Dynasty and admired Cao Cao's abilities.
Now seeing Yuan Shao meet such an end, Xun Yu, like Cao Cao, felt mixed emotions.
"Tian Chengshou's power is already established, and unlike Dong Zhuo, he has almost no weaknesses. It is almost impossible for Yuan Shao to unify Hebei." Xun Yu made the conclusion.
"We sent out many spies to infiltrate Ji County, but they all disappeared quickly. Some of the spies I thought would never be detected, but they had the same fate. Tian Ze's men must have the ability to identify enemies on a large scale."
Xi Zhicai finished speaking and glanced at Xun Yu: "It is said that some noble families have secretly taken some actions, but it seems that they all failed."
It was no secret that Tian Ze Ai was on an incognito tour. In the eyes of the noble families, this was a huge weakness. However, the actions they took to target this weakness had never been successful. Every time they sent someone, they were arrested as soon as they appeared.
Whether it was when the princes were fighting against Dong Zhuo or now, Tian Ze has always acted very casually and freely, seemingly unprepared.
But no matter what means the noble families adopted, they could not do anything to the other side.
The other party would not respond to overt tactics such as provocation and alienation. During the period when the princes were fighting against Dong Zhuo, the main strategy was to do nothing. If others did not go up, I would not go up. If others went up, I would cover the rear. If others quarreled, I would watch the show. If others were looking for trouble, I would pretend to be ignorant.
He also secretly rejected Yuan Shao's orders for various reasons. His troops were all cavalrymen and could not fight a siege. They came from Youzhou and their horses were seriously damaged, which made them unable to keep up with the marching speed.
He forced the order to attack, and the first thing he asked for was money, food, and reinforcements. Every time, Sun Jian gave examples and made some implicit remarks.
His main feature is that he is ruthless, has a good attitude but poor ability, and from time to time he will drag other people into it, leaving Yuan Shao with no excuse to hold him accountable.
As for the conspiracy, it would be fine if no one was seen. If there were people, there would be plenty of mines in Sangzhou, and the most lacking thing was people.
It's like the so-called beauty trap, but the premise is that the person who falls into the trap is caught off guard.
Otherwise, even if a beauty like Diao Chan was given to Lu Bu and he was asked to kill Dong Zhuo, Lu Bu would not do it for a woman...
It's possible, but the more likely possibility is that he took Diao Chan away directly and killed his father-in-law Wang Yun.
After all, Wang Yun is much easier to kill than Dong Zhuo, and he has no psychological burden.
With Tian Ze's knowledge, it is impossible for him to fall for such a scheme.
There is no shortage of beauties in the world, so there is no need to get involved with such bad intentions. Tian Ze still prefers mutual consent. As for assassination and poisoning, let alone Dian Wei's existence, a group of martial artists doing such a thing to a cultivator, the result is naturally self-evident.
Unable to deal with Tian Ze and with his flawless forces, Yuan Shao had no way to deal with him and could only fight on.
Given Tian Ze's background and the geographical advantages under his command, it would probably take at least 20 years to take over.
"Since Yuan Benchu cannot take down Tian Ze, the biggest possibility next is probably..." Xun Yu frowned.
"Wenruo, arrange for someone to contact Tao Qian." Cao Cao was silent for a moment and made a decision in his heart.
As early as when Yuan Shao talked to him about the so-called Guangwu Road during the alliance, he had anticipated that one day he would break with Yuan Shao, but he didn't expect it would happen so soon.
Having grown up with Yuan Shao since childhood, Yuan Shao understood him and he also understood Yuan Shao. As long as Yuan Shao set his sights on the Central Plains, it would be impossible for him to coexist peacefully with him and divide the Central Plains equally.
And it was absolutely impossible for him to be inferior to Yuan Shao.
Then let’s fight!
He had already had this idea when the princes were fighting against Dong Zhuo. If he had been in the same situation, he would not have let Dong Zhuo escape so easily.
"Yes!" Xun Yu agreed.
Tao Qian felt relieved when he received Cao Cao's letter of alliance.
His current situation is too dangerous. If Cao Cao does not form an alliance with him, he is ready to give the hot potato of Xuzhou to Liu Bei. If he does not give it to him, he is afraid that he will have no chance anymore.
This letter from Cao Cao calmed him down temporarily. Now he had to consider between Cao Cao and Liu Bei, and who he should choose.
Although Liu Bei is a relative of the Han royal family, everyone knows the value of his status as the descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan, and it is difficult to tell his strength and character for the time being. However, Zhang Fei and Chen Qun under his command are quite good.
Cao Cao was quite powerful. After all, he was able to defeat Yuan Shu, which gave him a sense of relief. However, his background was not good and his character was also questionable. As Yuan Shao's close friend, he was still a little worried.
Having calmed down, Tao Qian began to consider and make calculations. He knew that he might not have much time left and had to make a choice as soon as possible. Otherwise, once Yuan Shu got involved, the situation would only get worse.
However, the alliance between Liu Bei and Liu Biao against Yuan once again stabilized the situation, which made him completely calm down. He began to sit on the sidelines and watch with peace of mind, while increasing the secret population flow with Tian Ze to prepare a retreat.
"My lord, it seems that it will be difficult to persuade Lord Tao to give up his position in a short period of time." Chen Qun sighed after learning the news of the Cao-Tao alliance.
Liu Bei felt a little disappointed, but he smiled and patted Chen Qun on the shoulder to comfort him, "It's okay. Compared to Xuzhou, Yuzhou is more important. Although Runan is only a county, its population is almost the same as Xuzhou."
"It would be great if Xuzhou could be mine in the future. If not, that is God's will. You don't need to mind the long article."
Although Liu Bei has experienced many twists and turns, his overall development is still smooth. In just a few years, he has risen from a grassroots with nothing to become a governor. He is quite open-minded and contented.
Upon hearing this, Chen Qun was deeply moved, but he couldn't help but secretly hate the fate for playing tricks on him.
He had already considered Tao Qian's age and physical problems, and even secretly contacted Chen Deng, Cao Bao and others in Xuzhou. He thought it was a sure thing, but he didn't expect the situation to change so quickly.
Fortunately, he had previously advised Liu Bei to send troops to Taishan County when Liu Dai had just died and the position of Yanzhou Governor was vacant, and captured the western half of Taishan County, thus cutting off the direct connection between Yanzhou and Xuzhou.
Moreover, Tao Qian could not hold back and took over the other half of Taishan County, which planted a thorn in the heart of Cao Cao, the newly appointed governor of Yanzhou.
There is still room for planning on this matter, but we can't act too hastily, otherwise Tao Qian will easily notice it.
Having settled in Xuzhou for many years and commanding a large number of elite Danyang soldiers brought from his hometown, Tao Qian is now old, but he still has prestige and is not an old man who can be fooled easily.
(End of this chapter)
