Chapter 1672

Gu Yi smiled and helped Chen Gong up, a trace of appreciation flashing in his eyes. He knew that winning over Chen Gong was not only an acknowledgment of his talent but also an important influence on the mindset of the Yanzhou scholars. Chen Gong held considerable prestige among the Yanzhou scholars, and his submission would undoubtedly lead more scholars to lean toward Gu Yi.

"Gongtai, please rise. With you, I am like a tiger that has grown wings!" Gu Yi's words carried a measure of sincerity and anticipation.

Chen Gong stood up, his gaze firm, secretly swearing in his heart to assist Gu Yi in achieving a great hegemony in this chaotic world, to avenge Zhang Miao and Xu Si, and to fulfill the ambitions in his own heart.

At this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps came from outside the council hall, and a messenger rushed in, knelt on one knee, and presented a secret letter with both hands.

"Reporting to the Prime Minister, urgent news! Cao Cao is leading a large army toward Chen Liu, intending to retake the lost territory."

Gu Yi took the secret letter, scanned it quickly, frowned slightly, then relaxed and laughed: "He comes just in time. I was just about to have a battle with Cao Mengde to decide the victor."

Hearing this, Chen Gong, who was on the side, felt moved and took the initiative to request the lead: "Prime Minister, Cao Cao's arrival here must mean he has brought out all his elite forces. Although our army has been victorious, we still need to lay out our plans cautiously. I am willing to lead an army to set an ambush halfway to dampen his spirit."

Gu Yi nodded in approval; he knew well Chen Gong's resourcefulness and courage, and this plan was feasible. Thus, he quickly deployed troops and ordered Chen Gong to lead the two generals Zhang Xiu and Hua Xiong, along with five thousand elite soldiers, to the predetermined ambush site.

Several days later, Cao Cao's army arrived as scheduled, aggressive and with dust flying. Cao Cao rode on a tall horse, his gaze like a torch, swearing to wash away his previous shame.

However, when Cao Cao's army entered a dense forest, battle cries suddenly erupted from all sides. The ambush troops led by Chen Gong surged out, arrows fell like rain, and the Cao army immediately fell into chaos.

Cao Cao was shocked and hurriedly ordered the army to retreat, only to find that the path of retreat had been cut off by the troops led by Zhang Xiu and Hua Xiong. The Cao army fell into a bitter struggle and suffered heavy losses.

Just as Cao Cao was in a state of desperation, Gu Yi personally led the main force to arrive. Fierce generals like Huang Zhong, Pang De, and Yan Xing took the lead, charging into the battle formation as if entering an empty land. Seeing this, Cao Cao knew the situation was lost and had no choice but to order a retreat.

In this battle, Gu Yi won a complete victory, not only severely damaging Cao Cao's main force but also further consolidating control over Yanzhou. Chen Gong's resourcefulness and battle merits also became a story passed around in the army, and his prestige grew even greater.

After the battle, Gu Yi held a grand victory banquet in Chen Liu City to reward the three armies. At the banquet, Gu Yi raised his cup to Chen Gong and said: "Gongtai, today's victory is largely due to your great contribution. I wish to appoint you as the Left Military Advisor to plot great matters together with the Right Military Advisor Xun You. Are you willing?"

Hearing this, Chen Gong was extremely moved and hurriedly stood up to kneel and thank him: "Your subordinate is willing to exhaust his efforts for the Prime Minister until his death!"

With the submission and heavy use of Chen Gong, Gu Yi's power grew daily, not only controlling Yanzhou but also gradually expanding to surrounding commanderies. Cao Cao, on the other hand, was severely weakened and had to temporarily lie low to await his opportunity.

However, in a chaotic world, peace is always short-lived. Not long after, Yuan Shao rose in Hebei, intending to unify the north, which posed a new threat to Gu Yi. Gu Yi discussed with advisors like Chen Gong and Xun You and decided to take the initiative to strike first.

A battle of even greater scale was about to unfold. Gu Yi personally led the main army, Chen Gong and Xun You followed the army on the expedition, and fierce generals like Huang Zhong, Zhang Xiu, and Hua Xiong each led an army, splitting into multiple routes to press straight into Yuan Shao's heartland.

The two armies confronted each other at Guandu, and the battle situation was unprecedentedly intense. Gu Yi and Chen Gong planned from the command tent, laying out clever formations, and defeated Yuan Shao's attacks many times. Yuan Shao, meanwhile, gradually showed signs of fatigue, and his morale was low.

On the day of the decisive battle, Gu Yi personally donned armor and went into battle, fighting side by side with Chen Gong. Huang Zhong shot down Yuan Shao's commander flag with one arrow, and morale was greatly boosted. The Cao army pursued the victory, and Yuan Shao was defeated, fleeing back to Yecheng.

After this battle, Gu Yi's prestige shook the north, and Yuan Shao never recovered. Gu Yi pursued the victory, gradually annexing Yuan Shao's territory, and his sphere of influence expanded to the north of the Yellow River.

Assisted by advisors like Chen Gong and Xun You, Gu Yi's regime became increasingly stable, the people lived and worked in peace, and the economy and culture flourished. Gu Yi also grew from a young general into a monarch of great talent and bold vision, and his name left a heavy and colorful stroke in the long river of history.

Chen Gong stood on the city tower, looking at the mountains and rivers in the distance, his heart filled with deep emotion. He was fortunate to have met a wise lord like Gu Yi, who allowed him to display his talents and realize his ambitions. And he also used his own wisdom and loyalty to repay Gu Yi's trust and heavy use.

As Gu Yi's power continued to grow, his gaze was no longer limited to the northern lands. He knew deeply that true hegemony required unifying the world, allowing the people to truly enjoy peace and tranquility. Thus, after in-depth discussions with core advisors like Chen Gong and Xun You, Gu Yi decided to lead his army south to compete for the vast world of the Central Plains and even Jiangnan.

On the road south, the first to bear the brunt was Jingzhou. The Governor of Jingzhou, Liu Biao, although advanced in age, had advisors like clouds and martial generals like rain under his command, especially his son Liu Cong, who was hailed as the future hope of Jingzhou. However, Gu Yi knew deeply that the interior of Jingzhou was not a monolith; complex contradictions and disputes existed between Liu Biao and Liu Cong, as well as among the various major families of Jingzhou.

Chen Gong proposed utilizing the internal contradictions of Jingzhou to adopt a strategy of division and disintegration. Gu Yi adopted this suggestion and sent secret envoys to Jingzhou to secretly contact families and generals dissatisfied with Liu Biao, promising them great benefits to divide their internal forces.

At the same time, Gu Yi personally led a large army to press the border, creating a tense atmosphere. Upon hearing the news, Liu Biao was filled with fear and anxiety, his illness worsened, and not long after, he passed away. His son Liu Cong, with the support of Cai Mao, Zhang Yun, and others, succeeded as the Governor of Jingzhou. However, Liu Cong was young and vigorous, lacking political experience, and facing Gu Yi's army pressing the border, he chose to surrender to preserve the lives of the people of Jingzhou.

Gu Yi successfully took over Jingzhou, treated Liu Cong and his subordinates with courtesy, and heavily used those with talent, quickly stabilizing the situation in Jingzhou. In this battle, Gu Yi not only obtained the territory and military strength of Jingzhou but, more importantly, he won the hearts of the people of Jingzhou, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent southern expedition.

Next, Gu Yi's target pointed straight at Jiangdong. Sun Quan of Jiangdong had inherited the foundation of his father and brother for three generations, and his roots were deep. Moreover, Jiangdong had many talents; Zhou Yu, Lu Su, Lu Xun, and others were all famous generals of the time. Gu Yi knew that the battle with Jiangdong would be the most difficult battle on his road to unification.

Chen Gong once again proposed an exquisite strategy. He suggested first conducting diplomatic negotiations with Sun Quan to test his attitude, while secretly contacting the opposition within Jiangdong to seek internal support. If the negotiations were fruitless, then resort to force to break them in one fell swoop with the force of a thunderbolt.

Gu Yi acted according to the plan and sent envoys to Jiangdong to start negotiations with Sun Quan. However, Sun Quan was high-spirited and unwilling to submit to Gu Yi, and the negotiations eventually broke down. Thus, Gu Yi ordered the army to set out, pointing straight at Jiangdong.