Chapter 637

He stated that he originally intended to go south to rescue Jiangdong, but seeing the two brothers fighting, he didn't want to be taken advantage of by Liu Bei, so he acted as a peacemaker.

Obviously, this didn't move the two brothers.

Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang were still arguing at the banquet table.

In a fit of rage, Cao Cao directly ordered Dian Wei and Xu Zhu to kill them both!

Of course, the killing was something Boss Cao had planned long ago.

Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang were wiped out by Cao Cao in one go!

Xin Ping, Guo Tu, and others surrendered directly.

Cao Cao annexed their armies and urgently ordered Xia Hou Dun to lead troops across the Yellow River to join him. The great army arrived directly at Yecheng.

Yecheng was large and populous, with strong walls and dense defenses, making it difficult to capture.

Shen Pei insisted on defending the city, waiting for Yuan Xi.

Unfortunately, Xu You and Wen Chou had already secretly surrendered to Cao Cao. The two led troops together to attack Shen Pei.

Yecheng also had a mysterious force that, together with Su You, a general under Yuan Shang, opened the city gates and let the Cao army enter.

Thus, the most difficult fortress in Hebei was broken from within, only a few days after Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang were killed.

Cao Cao sent people to receive other commanderies of Jizhou while sending Xia Hou Dun and Cao Hong to occupy Qingzhou!

Cao Cao's speed was so fast that by the time Guan Yu's army stepped into Wei Commandery, Yecheng had already fallen.

Guan Yu deeply felt he had failed Liu Bei's expectations. He didn't listen to Xu Shu's suggestion to retreat and insisted on leading troops to Yecheng, only to be defeated by Cao Cao's great army and retreat to Huai County in Henei to defend.

Zhao Yun assisted Yuan Xi in Youzhou, helping Yuan Xi kill the traitor Jiao Chu.

However, unexpectedly,

Yuan Xi was a piece of trash who couldn't be helped. Facing Cao Cao's army pressing on the border, he actually wanted to abandon Youzhou directly.

Zhao Yun was also afraid that Yanmen would be lost, so he led Yuan Xi's thirty thousand troops and more than one hundred thousand Youzhou people to retreat into Yanmen Commandery together.

In a short time, Cao Cao captured Jizhou, Qingzhou, and Youzhou, doubling the population and territory he controlled!

For a time, he shocked the nine provinces!

Cao Cao's strategists, Xun Yu, Cheng Yu, Sima Yi, and others, had gone through countless deductions to finally obtain such a great harvest.

Cao Cao's such flashy operation caught even Liu Bei off guard.

He originally thought Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan would fight for at least half a year or more than a year.

Unexpectedly, Cao Cao was so unscrupulous, ruining his own reputation just to gnaw down the three provinces of Hebei!

One could only blame Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan for being too stupid. Cao Cao had already arrived; did they really think this guy would act as a peacemaker?

Liu Bei looked around.

"What do you all think our army should do?"

Zhang Zhao frowned.

"My lord, Cao Cao has obtained the entire Hebei territory, his population and troops have doubled, and he has also obtained the grain and fodder accumulated by Yuan Shao for many years. It will be harder for our army to deal with him than before."

The faces of some civil and military officials were not good.

Liu Bei praised inwardly that Zhang Zhao was indeed a negative energy outputter... Fortunately, he didn't say surrender!

Guo Jia smiled.

"Everyone, there is no need to worry. Cao Cao luckily obtained the Hebei territory through tricks. The three provinces of Hebei are so vast; how could it be so easy for Cao Cao to control them?"

"Yuan Shao managed Hebei for many years and implemented benevolent policies for the people. When he passed away, people in many parts of Hebei wore mourning clothes and voluntarily cried for him, which shows his high prestige. Cao Cao used a conspiracy to kill his two sons; the people of Hebei will definitely not be convinced."

As soon as everyone heard this, their eyes lit up instantly.

Zhang Fei shouted loudly,

"Big Brother, what are we waiting for? While Cao Cao hasn't established a firm foothold in Hebei, let's kill our way to Hebei and avenge Yuan Shao's two sons!"

Ma Chao, Zhang Liao, Wei Yan, Huang Zhong, and others cupped their hands one after another, asking Liu Bei for battle.

Liu Bei smiled.

"Shiyuan, what do you think?"

Pang Tong paused.

"My lord, I suggest using troops immediately, but not against Hebei."

He pointed to Xu County on the map.

"Cao Cao leads his great army to control Hebei, so Xu County must be empty. My lord can order Kongming to lead the Jingzhou army to attack Yuzhou."

Liu Bei nodded.

"Shiyuan's words are very true. I will let Kongming act according to circumstances. Perhaps he has already moved his troops."

Lu Xun cupped his hands.

"My lord returning to Chang'an to prepare to use troops is too time-consuming. The longer the time, the more firmly Cao Cao will control Hebei. I suggest my lord directly raise the Jiangdong army to go north to attack the Central Plains and take Cao Cao's rear!"

Everyone's eyes lit up. The one hundred thousand elite troops gathered in Wu Commandery were just right for the northern expedition!

Liu Bei praised,

"Boyan's words are very true. Our army doesn't need to seek far for what is near. I will directly send troops from Jiangdong, using Jiangdong as a base, to attack Cao Cao's Central Plains from the east and west together with Kongming. Since he took Hebei, I will occupy his Central Plains!"

Everyone praised,

"Cao Cao's control of Hebei is not stable. If the Central Plains are lost, he will be ruined!"

"My lord is wise!"

Liu Bei looked at Guo Jia.

"Fengxiao, how do you think our army should attack the Central Plains?"

Guo Jia looked at the map.

"My lord, Cao Cao has newly obtained Hebei, and the hearts of the people are unstable. He himself may not dare to leave Hebei. Let's first have Guan Yu and Zhao Yun advance into Jizhou from Henei and Yanmen respectively to implement harassment."

0 ······Seek flowers····· ·······

Even if Cao Cao leaves Yecheng, he will have to leave heavy troops to guard it."

Everyone nodded. Their side has a geographical advantage and can attack at any time.

Guo Jia continued,

"If Kongming can take Yexian, he will be only 160 miles away from Xuchang, and the entire Central Plains will be shaken!"

Liu Bei tapped the table.

"Nanyang Commandery has gathered Gao Shun's Trap-Breaking Battalion, Ju Yi's Vanguard Battalion, and Wang Ping's Wudang Flying Army. With many elites, taking Yexian shouldn't be a problem."

"Occupying Yexian, the Jingzhou army can occupy Yingchuan Commandery. If Cao Cao doesn't want to lose Xu County, he must gather heavy troops to confront Zhuge Liang."

Pang Tong smiled.

"My lord can then lead troops to occupy the Huainan region, use the navy to control the Huaihe, advance from the Huaihe to the Si River in the east, go north to take Peng Cheng, and even attack the Qi region to take Qingzhou!"

"Our army can also enter the Ying River from the Huaihe west of Shouchun, occupy Xiang County, and continue north to reach Xu County! Attacking Xuchang from two sides, Cao Cao will have to retreat even if he doesn't want to!"

Everyone's eyes lit up.

Wei Yan's mind was also active, and he wanted to use surprise troops again.

"My lord, our army can also send troops from Hulao Pass to sneak attack Chen Liu Commandery, cutting off the connection between Hebei and Xu County. Cao Cao will be scared to death!"

Liu Bei smiled.

"If Cao Cao knew what we were thinking, he probably wouldn't be able to sleep or eat. Everyone's opinions are not bad!"

Everyone laughed heartily.

Liu Bei pointed to the Huaihe north of Shouchun.

"The key now is how to control the Huaihe. If our army cannot control the Huaihe, Zhuge Liang attacking Xu County on a single route may not succeed."

Guo Jia frowned.

"My lord, Cao Cao ordered Yue Jin to lead eight thousand troops to garrison the newly built Hefei fortress. It is easy to defend and hard to attack, and it is the only way to Shouchun. If we cannot break it, our army will find it hard to advance even an inch!"

Liu Bei?? He didn't expect that not long after he occupied Jiangdong, he would encounter the eternal problem that Sun Ten-Thousand encountered: the fortress of Hefei!

He thought about it; he also had about one hundred thousand troops.

"Liu Ten-Thousand? I don't need this nickname!"

Liu Bei shook his head fiercely. This really won't do. Doesn't he want face?

Sun Quan attacked Hefei several times, and although he was abused many times and got the nickname "Sun Ten-Thousand," he still couldn't let go of Hefei. It wasn't without reason.

It's just that the geographical location here is too important. To defend the Yangtze, one must defend the Huai.

In ancient times, when marching, grain and fodder come first.

The Jiangdong army can attack Hefei along the Ruxu River and Chaohu Lake, then attack into the Huaihe basin from Hefei along the Fei River, and finally attack Xu County along the Ying River, a tributary of the Huaihe.