Xiaoqi

"Guyi endured again and again and treated him with all kinds of courtesy, but now in exchange for kindness and revenge, Lizi bullied me too much!"

In the lobby of Yecheng State Mansion, Cao Cao was so angry that he dropped the letter on the desk to the ground, and the ink and cinnabar flew out, splashing all over his body.But he didn't notice it at all, and still made a "bang bang" sound from the table, his face was flushed, his bloodshot eyes seemed to want to choose someone and devour him, extremely cold and murderous.

In a fit of rage, Cao Cao stood on the upper steps with his head held high, gritted his teeth and yelled loudly, but he swallowed back the harsh words that were already on his lips.

Not only that, he was so angry that he still cared about his feelings, and didn't yell at him by name in public.

At this time, dozens of civil servants and generals gathered in the hall, except for a few Jizhou civil and military generals, all of them were close friends of Cao Cao's account.The so-called cronies are the civil servants and generals who followed Cao Cao when he occupied Yanzhou.The civil servants and military generals under Yuan Shao's tent are not listed here.

Seeing that Cao Cao was furious, everyone in the hall stood up one after another, keeping silent like cicadas, for fear of harming the fish in the pond and causing innocent disasters.

At this moment, the Shangshu ordered Xun Yu to come out of the crowd, his eyes swept over Cao Ren, Cao Chun, Cheng Yu, Chen Qun, Liu Ye and others, and he waved his hand to signal the crowd to disperse.

Seeing Xun Yuqiang stand out, all civil and military personnel bowed and saluted one after another as if they had been pardoned, and then hurriedly left the hall.This scene happened right in front of Cao Cao's eyes, but he turned a blind eye to it. He didn't express anything from the beginning to the end. He looked up at the beam in the center of the hall with a livid face, his anger still lingering.

Watching all the officials leave, Xun Yu, Cheng Yu, Cao Ren, Cao Chun, Chen Qun and Liu Ye remained in the hall.This is the tacit understanding they have had for many years.There is no need to say much to each other, just a look is enough.

And the reason why Xun Yu rejected all civil and military people.Only Cao Cao's confidants were left behind, and it was he who immediately understood Cao Cao's intentions.Cao Cao hesitated to speak in a rage.Obviously there are scruples and it is inconvenient to disclose it to the public. After all, there are many old officials of the Yuan family among the people in the hall.Hearing Cao Cao's concerns, Xun Yu immediately knew what to do. This was a tacit understanding he formed after following Cao Cao for many years, and it was also a manifestation of his status.In this regard, Cao Cao once hailed Xun Yu as "the solitary son's house".The implication is that Xun Yu is not only resourceful and skilled in government affairs, but also has a tacit understanding with him, understanding each other and complementing each other.

After a while of silence, the anger on Cao Cao's face gradually subsided. When he turned around and was about to sit down, he saw that the table was covered with ink stains, and even his sleeves and hem were covered with ink stains.Immediately, he frowned slightly, and looked coldly at the attendants on both sides of the hall, seeing them trembling with fright.With their heads down, no one dared to come forward to wipe the table.

Cao Cao has too much prestige, coupled with his suspicious and fickle personality, moody.Even in his sleep, he can wield a sword to kill people, so that the maids and servants who serve him fear him like a tiger, and usually dare not approach him.Not to mention when he was furious.Therefore, the four attendants who had followed him for a long time on both sides of the hall clearly saw the letters and ink on the case table spilled all over the floor.But he didn't dare to go forward and wipe it clean.

Everyone walked slowly to the hall, Cao Cao waved his hand to signal Xun Yu and the six to sit down.After taking a deep breath and calming down, he sat down on the first seat on the right side, and said in a deep voice: "Just now I made a secret report. In the past few days, more than [-] generals and officials from various states and counties have privately met with the second son of the Yuan family. He acted sneakily and very suspiciously. Has Wen Ruo heard about this?" People who don't know the inside story will definitely think that this is a questioning tone, and guess whether Xun Yu is also involved, which makes Cao Cao suspicious of him.

but it is not the truth.On the contrary, Cao Cao directly asked Xun Yu without any concealment, which instead showed his high level of trust in Xun Yu. People who are close friends don't need to hide anything, just ask directly if there is anything.

Xun Yu nodded lightly as usual, and said respectfully: "It is indeed as the lord said, and I have heard about it. However, the second son of the Yuan family has no real power in his hands. At best, he is just two rich men. Even if he is unwilling Therefore, I just laughed it off when I heard about it, and ignored it. It’s just that I never thought that there would be a general in the army involved in it, so we must pay special attention to it, and beware of accidents and troubles.”

Cao Cao nodded slightly, anger appeared on his face again, but there was a little helplessness in his eyes, as if he was very distressed and worried.

Indeed, this incident once again sounded the alarm for Cao Cao, and while he was alarmed, he was filled with righteous indignation and anger.

For more than a year, he has devoted himself to consolidating his rule, reorganizing the Jizhou army, restoring people's livelihood, rectifying the administration of officials, accumulating prestige, and establishing prestige, so that he can establish prestige in the hearts of the people of Jizhou as soon as possible, and truly replace Yuan Shao and become a real leader. The well-deserved Lord of Jizhou.However, the reality is not as smooth as expected.

It is not a big problem to reorganize the army. Within half a month, 30 Jizhou troops can be assembled, the old, weak, sick and disabled will be eliminated, and the elite soldiers will be left behind. The initial reorganization of soldiers will be completed.But then there was a problem. There were major differences on the selection of generals, the reappointment of generals and generals. The contradictions were not small and almost impossible to reconcile.

The outstanding problem is the official rank.On this issue, not only the army has serious differences and conflicts of interests, but even the state and county officials in Jizhou and Qingzhou are quite critical, dissatisfied with Cao Cao, and discussing behind the scenes.There is only one reason. Yuan Shao was the emperor before his death, and he ruled the world. In order to defend Jizhou and Qingzhou, and strengthen his determination to resist the Xiliang army, Yuan Shao rewarded the civil and military forces of the accounts, and added officials to ranks. There are nearly twenty people, and there are as many as one hundred civil servants and generals comparable to Sangong and Jiuqing. If it weren't for the limited territory and soldiers, they might wantonly become kings.It is no exaggeration to say that during the more than two years when Jizhou was besieged by groups, Yuan Shao maintained the situation by appointing officials and making wishes. There are more than [-] civil servants and military generals with the same official rank as the Sangong and Jiuqing.

Among them, the army is the worst. Among the more than 300 generals, there are more than 180 generals with the same rank as Jiuqing, and the remaining 200 are all generals with miscellaneous names, so that the generals of the Jizhou Army, such as Lieutenant General, Zhonglang General, and Xiaowei, are not generals at all. The leaders who commanded two or three hundred people were all school lieutenants or Zhonglang generals, and the remaining low-level military positions such as Sima, Junhou, Tuen Zhang, and team leaders abounded, and there were a lot of them.

According to statistics during the reorganization process, 30% of the 50 Jizhou Army generals with military ranks and above account for 50% of the total number, and there are countless other low-level military positions.Originally, there were five people in a team, with a team leader, [-] people in a team, and a team leader with a team leader and a deputy. However, there were even two team leaders at the bottom of the Jizhou Army, and it became even more excessive at the first level Well, there are two team leaders on the left and right, and three deputy team leaders. In a team of [-] people, there are sixteen sergeants who are low-level generals in the military rank.If this is the case at the bottom, let alone the military ranks at the top, the number of generals is unprecedented, and the number is outrageous.

Not only is the army's generals huge, but even the civilian ranks are also bloated. The number of officials is nothing compared to the generals with military positions.The most irritating thing is that military generals worship generals and become marquises. After all, in troubled times, military generals are naturally more popular than civilian officials; but Yuan Shao even rewarded civil servants with titles, and even many descendants of aristocratic families and merchants without real jobs have titles. The body, and the title is not low, ranging from Tinghou, Xianghou, to Liehou, and there are many of them.

When Yuan Shao was alive, these things were nothing but empty papers, which could not be implemented at all.After Cao Cao took over Jizhou, the mess left by Yuan Shao rushed at him, forcing the army to stop at the second step of reorganization. Sleeping soundly, having trouble sleeping and eating, having a splitting headache every day, and a headache in the middle of the night.

According to Cao Cao's temperament and temperament, he didn't need to pay attention to these unwarranted official titles, they were just empty words, so why bother to take them to heart, just follow his own ideas, cut the mess quickly, overthrow the whole thing and start over again.But no, Jizhou was picked up for nothing, and Yuan Shao handed it over at his deathbed, allowing Cao Cao to win the huge Jizhou without a single soldier, and received strong support from the Jizhou family and gentry, helping him defeat Xiliang. Li's hundreds of thousands of troops won an unprecedented victory.

Cao Cao was overjoyed when he got Jizhou. He was so happy that he could wake up from sleep with a smile.However, after he started to rectify the Jizhou officials and take over the Jizhou army, troubles came one after another, one after another, all of which were placed on his desk, sealed with Huang Ling's black letters and stamped with cinnabar. Yuxi's imperial edict rushed towards him like snowflakes.

What should I do, admit it or not?To implement or not to implement, do the promises made before still count?

If you accept these edicts and abide by his public promise when he defeated the Xiliang Army, then implement it; after the merger of the Jizhou Army and the Yanzhou Army, all the generals in command will be Jizhou generals, and their rank and title are comparable to Cao Cao. There are more than ten officials in the army, and nearly one hundred Jizhou generals are all above his subordinates.

If Cao Cao refuses to accept his account and resolutely refuses to fulfill his promises, the promises Quandang made on the day he entered Yecheng State Shepherd's Mansion are all farts, and he can't remember now.But what face does he have to lead Jizhou, how can he convince the 700 million people in Jizhou and Qingzhou, and how can he lead an army of 60?

And the root of all this is that Jizhou was not brought down by his troops, but a territory that was picked up for nothing by soldiers.I thought it was taking a huge advantage, but now I know that there are no good products for cheap, and sooner or later, greedy for cheap will suffer big losses.

No, a lot of matters concerning the three lords, the generals and the Marquis have not yet been resolved, and Yuan Shao's two precious sons, Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang, are making waves again, jumping up and down, trying to make a comeback!

Chapter 192 Born in Sorrow and Died in Peace

The ranks of generals in Jizhou are all higher than generals in Yanzhou, which is not what troubled Cao Cao the most.What a big deal, it's not a big deal, just empty them out, let them have no name, and all of them are enshrined and it's over.

What makes Cao Cao the first and the second big is that Yuan Shao conferred more than 200 "Marquis" above Tinghou, and there are more than [-] famous princes with titles and no food.

This is a big trouble, it can be called a bottomless pit.

So many "Hou Ye" gave him all the salary and food of Cao Cao. The large number and the wide range of fiefdoms are amazing.If Yuan Shao's imperial edict was really accepted and the promise was fulfilled, two counties could be divided into two counties only for the fiefdom, and they were rich counties with a large population. Otherwise, three counties would be required to reward them.

Even if they don't give them food and fiefs, they must be given their salaries.

It has been more than two years in arrears before, shouldn't it be honored now?

Calculated in this way, it is three and a half years of salary. This amount is so large that even if the gold, silver, money and food accumulated in the treasury of Jizhou for many years are searched, it will not be enough for their three-year salary.This price is too great!

The treasury was so empty that the rats were starved to death, so what about Cao Cao's more than 60 troops and tens of thousands of officials? Where did their food supplies and salaries come from?

Once the food and wages of the army and officials are cut off, the consequences will be unimaginable. At that time, Cao Cao, the master, will come to an end, and he will be torn into pieces by the soldiers and turned into powder.

Losing the control of the army and states and counties, what is the use of Cao Cao raising these fat-headed "Hou Ye"? It is better to raise a group of pigs.

However.If Cao Cao refuses to admit his account, he will resolutely not fulfill his promise.The promises made by Quandang on the day he entered Yecheng State Mufu were all farts, and now he doesn't remember them.But what face does he have to lead Jizhou.How can we convince the 700 million people in Jizhou and Qingzhou, and how can we command an army of 60?

And the root of all this is that Jizhou was not brought down by his troops, but a territory that was picked up for nothing by soldiers.I thought I had a huge advantage, but now I know that there are no good products for cheap, and sooner or later you will suffer big losses if you are greedy for cheap.It is true that the huge Jizhou was picked up in vain, but it also caused continuous big troubles. It is really a mess, with constant cutting and chaos.It's all a bunch of muddled accounts.

For a whole year and seven months, Cao Cao was tortured to death by this muddled account, suffering unspeakably.Every day, like a person who has nothing to do, he fights with these "former court ministers" who are holding imperial edicts. , money and food are in short supply, Yanzhou and Qingzhou have been suffering from drought for years, and locust plagues have occurred frequently. They really can’t afford any money; as long as the year is good and the taxes and taxes of the states and counties are paid, they will definitely pay them their salaries over the years with a lot of money!”

Cao Cao said these words at least ten times a day, and repeated them at least thousands of times in a year and a half.This made him talk in his sleep at night with this set of rhetoric.One can imagine the pain.

No, a lot of matters concerning the three lords, the generals, and the Marquis have not yet been resolved, and Yuan Shao's two precious sons, Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang, are stirring up trouble again.Jumping up and down, trying to make a comeback.

to be honest.Just now, Cao Cao was so angry that he really wanted to order that these moths that were parasitic under his rule be cut in half and wiped out.Completely relieved the troubles that had tormented me for almost two years.However, this kind of thought disappeared in a flash, it was purely for self-entertainment, and it was just for fun, but in fact it must not be done.If you really want to do this, it is tantamount to digging your own grave. The good situation will be wiped out in an instant, and the hard work of most of your life will be wasted.

It doesn’t matter if the superior person doesn’t have a handsome appearance, he doesn’t need to have the bravery to gallop on the battlefield, even if he has no strength to restrain a chicken, he just can’t have prestige, trustworthiness, promises and promises to others, especially the soldiers and common people under his command.

It was because of this kind of worry and fetters that Cao Cao worked so hard for a year and a half, but he didn't get any results. All he did was wipe Yuan Shao's buttocks. Expected goals are far from the same.

The only political achievement that has seen initial results is the rectification of officials.To be on the safe side, Cao Cao adopted a strategy of suppressing a group, pacifying a group, and suppressing a group again.After more than a year, the initial results have been achieved. All the chief officials of the counties and counties under the rule of the three states have been replaced by direct relatives or exceptionally promoted righteous men and talents. They have subdued about [-]% of the famous families in Jizhou and further consolidated their dominant position. .This is the only commendable achievement, and it is also the result of a year and a half of hard work by Cao Cao and many civil servants and advisers under his command.

Compared with government affairs, Cao Cao, who had made a big determination to rectify the army, was deeply frustrated. He worked hard for more than a year, but in the end it still had little effect.Although the combat power of the Jizhou Army is slightly inferior to that of the Yanzhou Army, it is superior to the large number of soldiers and horses. Except for the traitor Ju Yi who led 34 elite soldiers to defect to the enemy, the Jizhou Army gathered all the soldiers and horses from Jizhou and Qingzhou, totaling [-]. There are more than [-] soldiers, of which [-] are cavalry, [-] are chariot soldiers, [-] are sailors, and the rest are all infantry.This is the number of soldiers and horses after the decisive battle with the Xiliang Army in Jizhou the year before last. Before the war, the Jizhou Army was more than [-], and its strength was far above Cao Cao.

In contrast, Cao Cao's headquarters originally had more than 23 troops, which was [-] fewer than the Jizhou Army.Although the Battle of Jizhou was an unprecedented victory, Cao Jun still suffered huge casualties of no less than [-] soldiers, and the losses were quite heavy.If you add the soldiers and horses lost by the Jizhou Army, Cao Cao did not take much advantage in the Battle of Jizhou. He lost [-] troops (including the Jizhou Army) on the entire Hebei battlefield. Casualties were nearly even.

A well-designed tactic to lure the enemy into depth, the reason why the casualties were so heavy was because Cao Cao took the lives of [-] elite soldiers at the beginning of the war in order to lure Li Li into the bait.Later, on the battlefields of Julu and Changshan, although Cao Jun succeeded in sneak attacks one after another and regained the lost ground, he paid a heavy price for it. Nearly [-] troops died in the attack and breakthrough of Xiliang iron cavalry.It is no exaggeration to say that apart from the disastrous defeat in Yecheng, the Xiliang Army did not suffer losses on other battlefields. Although it lost the city and camp, it dealt a heavy blow to Cao Jun and Jizhou Army and retained its own vitality.

The reason why this battle was regarded by Cao Cao as an unprecedented victory was because he exchanged a relatively weak 10,000+ army for more than 6 elite cavalry under Li Li's command. Thousands of people.Therefore, although the casualties of the two armies were roughly the same, Cao Cao actually won the battle, and it was a big victory that he had never imagined before; There are countless armor and ordnance.With these captures, it is enough for him to form an elite iron cavalry of 5 people. In addition, he already has [-] war cavalry ([-] are left after streamlining). In time, he is fully capable of confronting the Xiliang iron cavalry head-on, vigorously Launched a cavalry decisive battle with the Xiliang Army.

For this, Cao Cao was full of expectations and fighting spirit, and firmly believed that the tiger and leopard cavalry under his command would never lose to the Xiliang cavalry under Li Li's tent.

Today, at the same time as receiving a secret report from the Yuan Tan brothers, Cao Cao also received two secret reports, one from Xiliang and the other from Jingzhou.

Before receiving these two military intelligence reports, Cao Cao was quite satisfied with his achievements in the past year and a half.Although he did not achieve the expected goal, he was not discouraged. He knew that a thousand things need to be sorted out slowly and step by step, and he should not rush for success.But when he read the contents of the two secret reports, cold sweat flowed down his forehead instantly, and he felt that his achievements over the past year were almost negligible compared with Li Li and Liu Biao, and could not be compared at all.

According to the secret report, in the past year, Li Li secretly sent troops to attack Yizhou under the guise of taking a rest, and took two Sichuans in less than half a year.After regaining the whole territory of Yizhou, Li Li returned to Chang'an last winter, but left Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu in Yizhou to continue fighting and sent troops to suppress the Southern Man.This is the secret report that Xizuo painstakingly sent back from Xiliang.

The second secret report recorded the great changes in Jiangdong and the secret alliance between Jiangdong and Jingzhou Liu Biao. It was almost the same as the secret report Li Li received except for a slight difference in wording.