Chapter 353: The Predicament of Yuzhou

Whether it is the Yingchuan faction led by Seeing Xun Yu under Cao Cao, or the Henan faction under Yuan Shao, both originated from the aristocratic groups of Yuzhou.

But only after truly occupying Yuzhou did Cao Cao realize the truth.

The prosperity of Yuzhou had long since vanished, never to return, amidst years of continuous warfare.

Especially after this operation by Yuan Shu, which could only be described as brain-dead, to declare himself emperor.

Yuzhou was even more exhausted and weary.

Its once abundant war potential could now almost be described as less than one in ten remaining.

In other words.

Cao Cao's plan to use the capture of Yuzhou to replenish Yanzhou's strength had completely fallen through before it had even begun to be executed.

Given the current mess that is Yuzhou, Cao Cao would likely not only fail to replenish his strength from it but would also have to pay out a great deal more.

Besides this.

Liu Bei's rout also made Cao Cao feel a sense of crisis.

Sun Ce occupied Huainan.

He could launch a fierce attack on Yuzhou from the direction of Huainan at any time.

Furthermore, Yuzhou bordered Luoyang.

This meant that Gu Yi could also dispatch Zhang Liao, who was stationed at Hulao Pass, to lead troops to attack Yuzhou at any time.

Once the war began, Cao Cao would instantly fall into the predicament of fighting on two fronts.

Looking around, the only allies Cao Cao could turn to for help were Yuan Shao in the north and Tao Shang in Xuzhou.

But Yuan Shao currently still needed to deal with Gongsun Zan of Youzhou.

And Tao Shang was a character who was truly like mud that couldn't be plastered onto a wall.

These two, no matter how one looked at it, did not seem reliable.

This matter undoubtedly made Cao Cao very anxious.

If he couldn't think of a strategy to break the deadlock, I fear he, Cao Mengde, would soon be going to the Nine Springs to keep Yuan Gonglu company!

"Ugh!"

Suddenly.

A wave of intense pain swept through Cao Cao's entire body.

Stimulated by his worries, his migraine had flared up again.

And this time, it was quite severe.

Fortunately, Dian Wei, who was standing behind him, called for a physician in time, which slightly eased Cao Cao's pain.

However.

Even so.

The intense pain nearly caused Cao Cao to fall into a coma.

Upon hearing the news, Seeing Xun Yu, Xi Zhicai, Chen Qun, and others rushed over to visit Cao Cao.

"My lord, your health..."

Seeing Xun Yu asked with a worried expression.

Hearing this, Cao Cao forced a smile through the pain and said to his advisors:

"Everyone, rest assured, Cao's health will not have any major problems for the time being."

"It is just that there are simply too many things worrying Cao."

"I wonder if you all have any strategies to break this deadlock?"

To be honest, Cao Cao felt a little bit of resentment toward the Yingchuan group under his command.

If it weren't for listening to their nonsense and sending troops to attack Yuzhou.

How could he have fallen into such a predicament now?

He had thought Yuzhou was a wealthy land, but it turned out to be an out-and-out mess.

How could Cao Cao keep his heart balanced after this?

Seeing Xun Yu and the others also knew they were in the wrong.

Although Yuzhou had become very broken and ruined under the years of continuous warfare.

But regardless, this was still the ancestral home of their Yingchuan group.

Taking back one's ancestral home is nothing to be ashamed of.

And at this moment.

Regarding the predicament Cao Cao was facing.

Seeing Xun Yu and the other people of the Yingchuan aristocratic families naturally had an obligation to help him think of a strategy to break the deadlock.

The few of them kept thinking in their minds.

In the end, they all thought of the same direction simultaneously!

And at the same time.

Tao Shang, far away in Peng Cheng, Xuzhou, couldn't help but shiver violently.

The feeling of being targeted by a hungry wolf is very bad...