Three Kingdoms: I switched to Liu Bei, why are you crying, Cao Cao?

Chapter 64 Cao Cao: How did Liu Bei have such a genius?
Looking back on Liu Bei's life, it can be roughly divided into four stages. The first stage is from the start of his uprising to the rescue of Beihai.

At this stage, Liu Bei was just a small follower. He had some soldiers, but not much, and some fame, but not much.

The second stage is the stage we are in now. His reputation rose due to his rescue of Tao Qian and the cession of Xuzhou.

At this stage, Lao Liu had a chance to dominate, but he encountered many ups and downs.

The third stage, from the time he hibernated in Xuchang to before the third visit, was an extremely frustrating one.

In the fourth stage, after three visits, he took advantage of the situation and rose all the way, but then took a sharp turn for the worse and was defeated and died of illness.

In contrast, Cao Cao's impression of Liu Bei also went through four stages, from initial contempt, to esteem, to hatred, and finally to helplessness.

At this time, Liu Bei was in the second stage in Cao's heart. He valued him very much, but that was limited to just valuing him.

From the previous judgment on Lu Bu, we can know that in Cao Cao's eyes, Liu Bei is not an enemy now.

Cao Cao even wanted to win over Liu Bei to be his younger brother.

Therefore, when Liu Bei was defeated by Lu Bu before, Cao Cao was afraid of Lu Bu's power and specially provided Liu Bei with food and supplies to use as a shield!
Therefore, when Cao Cao heard the news about Liu Bei, he was a little surprised and said:
"How could Liu Bei have such ability to conquer Pei?"

In his opinion, Liu Bei is now struggling to resist Lu Bu, so how can he have the ability to take the initiative to attack Yuan Shu!
But when Xun Yu heard this, he felt nervous and looked at Guo Jia and said:
"Feng Xiao, how did Liu Bei conquer Pei?"

Facing the two's questions, Guo Jia took a breath, and seeing that there was rice wine on Cao Cao's table, he went forward and poured himself a glass before saying:
"The reason why Liu Bei was able to do this is closely related to one person!"

As he said this, he drank the rice wine in one gulp.

Cao Cao never liked red tape. When he saw Guo Jia drinking his drink, he was not angry. Instead, he took the initiative to pour Guo Jia another drink:
"What exactly is Fengxiao talking about? Who does it have to do with?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Guo Jia sat down opposite him and said in a serious tone:
"This man's surname is Wang, his given name is He, and his courtesy name is Ziye!"

"He is Liu Bei's new military advisor!"

When these words were spoken, Xun Yu was stunned.

Not Qin Zhen, but Wang He?

Cao Cao frowned and said:
"Who is Wang He?"

"This person is from Yanzhou. I don't know his exact place of origin, but I can be sure that he is extremely talented!"

Guo Jia drank two cups of rice wine in succession, and after catching his breath, he said:
"I'm sure you won't believe this, but Liu Bei conquered Pei State without a single drop of blood!"

"It's all thanks to the power of others!"

"In my opinion, this is all the result of Wang He's planning!"

When Lao Cao heard this, his pupils suddenly widened, and then he frowned and said:

"The land of Pei State is large enough for Yuan Shu to station nearly 20,000 troops."

"In Xiang County alone, there are 15,000 soldiers and horses!"

"Who can Liu Bei rely on to seize Pei State?"

Having said this, he had already realized that something was wrong, so he simply said:

"Feng Xiao, tell me in detail what happened during this period of time!"

After hearing this, Xun Yu came forward to listen.

Seeing the two of them like this, Guo Jia sorted out his thoughts and then spoke:

"To talk about Liu Bei's capture of Pei State, we have to start from March!"

"Because the lord asked me to find out Zixuan's whereabouts, I sent many spies to various forces to inquire."

"Suddenly I discovered that Liu Bei in Pei County is recruiting soldiers!"

"Liu Bei doesn't have many soldiers and horses, and although he is not someone who can be under someone else's command for long, he is not a formidable enemy to our army, so I did not report him!"

"But at this time, I discovered that Liu Bei's army sent an envoy to Xia Pi!"

"Why did Liu Bei send an envoy to Xia Pi?"

Cao Cao couldn't help but ask.

He helped Liu Bei because he saw that Liu Bei and Lu Bu were already at loggerheads.

At this time, no matter how you think about it, Liu Bei should not send an envoy to Xia Pi!

"I also asked the same question at that time!"

Guo Jia also seemed to recall:
"According to my opinion, there is already a rift between Liu Bei and Lu Bu. What is the point of sending an envoy?"

"So I sent spies to find out the news."

"It turns out that Liu Bei's letter is intended to get Lu Bu to join forces with him to attack Yuan Shu and seize Xiang County!"

Xun Yu listened and couldn't help but ask:
"So, Liu Bei took Xiang County with the help of Lu Bu?"

“Yes, but also no!”

Guo Jia's expression became somewhat complicated.

"Because Lu Bu didn't reply!"

"Lu Bu shouldn't have replied!"

Lao Cao was puzzled and said:

"Does Liu Bei not know who Lu Bu is? What's the point of sending this letter?"

Upon hearing this, Guo Jia smiled bitterly and said:

"My lord, this is how deep Liu Bei's army's calculations are!"

"Jia Chushi was also confused about this. If this letter is useless, why send it?"

"Then last month, my lord, what happened?"

"What happened last month?"

Lao Cao thought about it carefully, and suddenly a gleam of light flashed in his eyes:
"Yuan Shu's troops attacked Lu Bu?"

Who is he? When he thought of this, he was shocked and said:

"Is Liu Bei's letter waiting for this moment?"

"exactly!"

Guo Jia nodded and said seriously:
"This letter may seem useless, but it actually involves Lu Bu. My lord, think about it. If there were no letter, Lu Bu would be embarrassed to ask for help even though he was facing a large army!"

"But once this letter arrives, Lu Bu will see that he intends to fight against Yuan Shu. How can he let go of this reinforcement?"

"So, Lu Bu directly sent a letter to Liu Bei's army asking for help!"

After hearing this, both Cao Cao and Xun Yu had complicated expressions!

As the saying goes, those who are involved are often confused, while those who are not involved can see clearly!

If you were in the situation, you might not think there was anything wrong, but from an outsider's perspective, Liu Bei's army's actions were simply terrifying!
It should be noted that Yuan Shu had not yet sent out his troops before Liu Bei sent the letter, but the effect of the letter began to take effect only after Yuan Shu sent out his troops.

In other words, before Yuan Shu sent out his troops, Liu Bei's army accurately predicted that Yuan Shu was about to send out his troops!

Lao Cao felt a chill on his back and gestured to Guo Jia:

"Fengxiao, please continue. What did Liu Bei's army do afterwards?"

"How does this involve Pei State?"

Seeing Cao Cao's performance, Guo Jia nodded and continued:
"If you ask how to involve Pei State, I have also thought about it in my mind. The purpose of this letter may be to get Lu Bu's promise."

"But what happened later became even more bizarre!"

"First, Liu Bei's army arrived at Xia Pi. For some unknown reason, Lu Bu directly imprisoned Chen Gong, and then he agreed to share the spoils with Liu Bei's army!"

“Although these actions are somewhat unreasonable, they are not surprising.”

"The key is that Liu Bei's army and Lu Bu's army joined forces to defeat Zhang Xun's army."

"This battle seems extremely unusual to me!"

"Because in this battle, it seems that the two families have joined forces, but in fact the main force is Lu Bu."

"It was Lu Bu who sent an envoy to instigate a rebellion against Yuan Shu's subordinates, Yang Feng and others. With the help of internal and external forces, they defeated Zhang Xun's army."

"The role of Liu Bei's army is just to provide support, it is of no use!" "That is to say, even without Liu Bei's army, Lu Bu can still win this battle!"

"With Liu Bei's army, although Lu Bu won, he had to pay a lot of money, food and supplies."

"My Lord, think about it, what is the logic behind this?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao and Xun Yu both took a breath of cold air.

As the saying goes, those who are involved are often confused, while those who are not involved can see clearly!

It might be difficult for Lu Bu to notice the situation he was in, but when they listened to the surface, they discovered something horrifying!

During the whole process, Liu Bei's army did not seem to be coming to reinforce, but seemed to be rushing over to share the spoils as they knew Lu Bu would win!

In other words, up to now, this letter has already obtained Lu Bu's promise, and also obtained money, food, and troops!

Thinking of this, Cao Cao lost his voice and said:

"Does Wang He have the ability to predict the future?"

When Guo Jia heard this, he shook his head and said:
"If you really are a prophet, that's good!"

"But this man's ability to plan is terrifying!"

"My Lord, do you know what happened later?"

Cao Cao thought for a moment and frowned when he heard this.
"Lü Bu is a man of no integrity, so he will definitely not give us the reward!"

"Although Liu Bei has a plan, it may not be able to achieve his goal!"

But when Guo Jia heard this, he shook his head and laughed:
"If you think so, my lord, then you are only thinking about the surface!"

"In fact, this level is the key to Wang He's plan!"

"On the surface, Lü Bu can indeed avoid giving Liu Bei any reward in this matter. Given Lü Bu's character, he can just deny his debt and Liu Bei will have to return empty-handed."

"But my lord, think about it. Liu Bei came here with a plan. How could he be willing to return empty-handed?"

"If Lu Bu doesn't kill them, will Liu Bei's army not take action?"

"That seems to be the case!"

Cao Cao twisted his beard and said in a deep voice:

"Liu Bei's plan is obvious to anyone with a discerning eye. Liu Bei's army must have a backup plan!"

"So Lu Bu gave the spoils to Liu Bei?"

"it's not true!"

Guo Jia shook his head:

"Just as the lord inferred, Lu Bu did not give the spoils to Liu Bei!"

"But the lord may have forgotten one person!"

"Lü Bu couldn't see it, but Chen Gong could!"

"So Chen Gong persuaded Lu Bu to share the spoils with Liu Bei!"

"Would Chen Gongtai be so kind?"

Xun Yu raised his head and said:
"If Chen Gong knew the danger Liu Bei was facing, how could he easily give him food and grass?"

Cao Cao also nodded, agreeing with Xun Yu's opinion.

Chen Gong is not an easy person to deal with and he will not compromise so easily.

And Guo Jia also nodded and said:

"Just as you said, Chen Gong is not so kind!"

"This is Chen Gong's plan!"

"He knows that if Lu Bu doesn't give him money and food, even if he owes Liu Bei, it will give Liu Bei an opportunity to take advantage of him!"

"So this person persuaded Lu Bu to give him money and food to break his promise to Liu Bei. In fact, he was using the food and supplies to tie up Liu Bei, making it difficult for Liu Bei to return to the army. He was preparing to secretly send troops to intercept the food and supplies!"

"This plan was indeed done by Chen Gongtai!"

Cao Cao showed a sneer on his face and said:

"If we implement this plan, Liu Bei will have a lot of baggage with him, and it will be difficult to break through!"

As he spoke, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes, and he looked at Guo Jia and said:
"Could this plan have been foiled by Wang He again?"

"That's right, Wang He is really good at using troops!"

Guo Jia sighed slightly and said:

"Chen Gong's plan was to use money and food to contain Liu Bei, but Wang He took advantage of this opportunity and directly persuaded Liu Bei to stop in Lu County and sell food and grass to lure the enemy to attack!"

"Lü Bu was chasing the enemy this time, and he didn't have much food and fodder. When he saw the enemy was about to leave, he naturally showed up, but he ended up being ambushed by Liu Bei's army!"

"In this battle, Lu Bu's pursuers were completely annihilated, and Liu Bei's army once again captured a large number of prisoners!"

When Cao Cao heard this, he was extremely surprised and said:

"It seems that this boy is quite capable of using troops!"

Xun Yu frowned, because everything Guo Jia said was exactly Qin Zhen's style!
But why did Guo Jia call it Wang He instead of directly saying it was Qin Zhen?
Thinking of this, he asked again:
"What happened next?"

Cao Cao heard this, stroked his beard and said in deep thought:

"I think Lu Bu will not be willing to let Liu Bei leave, so he will lead his troops to pursue him!"

As he spoke, he glanced at Guo Jia and said:
"Logically speaking, under such circumstances, Liu Bei would never be able to take Xiang County. If he is not careful, he will be attacked from both sides!"

In his opinion, Liu Bei's army at this time had no combat capability at all!

There are too many baggage and prisoners, so we can't capture the city, and we can't run far. Once we are caught up by Lu Bu, it will be a dead end!

Hearing this, Guo Jia sighed and said:

"This is the most horrifying part of Wang He's plan!"

"It seems that Liu Bei's army has fallen into a dead end, but in fact, when Liu Bei and Lu Bu defeated Zhang Xun and others, he captured Yuan Shu's general Qiao Rui!"

"I don't know what method he used to convince Qiao Rui!"

"When I was talking about Chen Gong's plan just now, Liu Bei's army had already sent Qiao Rui to infiltrate Xiang County!"

"The result was that when Liu Bei's army was at the gates of the city, Qiao Rui took advantage of the situation and switched sides, and Xiang County fell without a fight!"

"And Lu Bu came to pursue, but he had little food and supplies, and he was in a dilemma!"

"At this time, Liu Bei did not pursue him. Instead, he asked Lu Bu to fulfill his promise, supply food and grass, and let him go south to help capture the city."

"Lü Bu is now at the border of Pei State, and has no food or supplies. He cannot attack Xiang County, and if he retreats, he will have no food to use, and there is also the danger of Liu Bei chasing him. I have no choice but to agree!"

"He headed south until he had enough food and supplies, and then he left!"

"And Liu Bei's army, without moving a single soldier, took over all the counties in the south of Pei State one by one!"

Having said this, Guo Jia turned around, looked at Cao Cao and said:
"Now, my lord, do you still remember the letter?"

"That letter seemed useless, but in fact it was like a shackle that bound Lu Bu. Not only did Liu Bei gain many benefits, but he also used Lu Bu to serve him!"

"Now, Liu Bei has seized the entire Pei State, but it was actually Lu Bu who did the hard work."

"But Lu Bu can only let it go and let it drive him!"

"My Lord, think about it, this kind of planning ability is not something that ordinary people can achieve."

Having said this, he said no more, but just sighed in his heart at the boldness and ingenuity of this layout. It seems that every step is inexplicable, but they are linked together, making it difficult to guard against. Once you are in it, there is no way to break the deadlock!

The most terrifying thing is that everything Lu Bu promised has come true!
Whether Lu Bu is willing or not, he can get the job done by pressing his head.

This is not something that can be explained by simple calculations. One must take the entire situation into account to achieve this effect.

When Lao Cao heard this, his eyes were dull and he murmured:

"How could Liu Xuande have such a genius to assist him?"

(End of this chapter)