Chapter 703

But do you think these two options are what everyone can choose?

Not so.

In fact, in an era with a sparse population, wanting to die might not be an easy thing.

Living able-bodied men are far more valuable than dead ones.

This destined that bottom-level soldiers, even the right to choose their own life, often do not have.

Lu Bu and Zhang Liao, as veteran generals who have galloped on the battlefield for several years.

Regarding the matter of besieging the city, it is naturally easy for them.

They did not rush to force the siege.

Instead, they slowly surrounded the city and held a party.

This... was also learned from Gu Yi.

Anyway, still the same sentence, under Gu Yi's command, everyone is an old six.

The defenders inside the city were already in a state of extreme war-weariness.

Being messed with like this, the disgust for war in their hearts reached an unprecedented extreme.

When the city was broken.

Yuan Shao, Yuan Xi, and others had expressions that were extremely calm.

Panic?

That kind of emotion, perhaps, no longer existed.

Finally.

Yuan Shao, along with Yuan Xi and Yan Liang, committed suicide on the city tower together.

A generation of heroes perished here.

If there were no Gu Yi.

Perhaps Yuan Shao's life trajectory would be like in original history, fighting for supremacy with Cao Cao at Guandu.

Of course.

If he could properly handle the factional relationships under his command.

The person who won and unified the north might be him, and it is not certain that it would not be Cao Cao.

But it is a pity.

Gu Yi's stance destined that Yuan Shao could not stand together.

Between the two sides, there could only be one ending.

……

Qingzhou

Beihai City

The news of Yuan Shao's defeat and death soon reached here.

Actually, not only Cao Cao, but even Gu Yi himself never thought that Yuan Shao would be defeated so quickly.

Even his original plan was to launch the eastern expedition against Cao Cao at the same time.

Send Lu Bu and Zhang Liao to clean up Yuan Shao.

But... Gu Yi's army had just set off from Chang'an not long ago.

Yuan Shao had already been defeated by Zhang Liao and Lu Bu.

From Yuan Xi and Yan Liang attacking Hehe City, it had actually only been one month.

That is to say.

In just one month, the two sides completed the exchange of offense and defense.

Behind this, besides Yuan Shao's army not having strong will to fight and Yuan Shao's own mentality having problems.

A more important reason was that the group of soldiers under Yuan Shao were mostly able-bodied men grabbed and forcibly pulled over to make up the numbers.

They are all temporary workers, and they still hope to have what kind of combat power?

And learning the news of Yuan Shao's death.

The person who was most sad was naturally Cao Cao.

Once upon a time, Yuan Shao was indeed Cao Cao's good big brother.

The friendship between the two was quite thick.

The tall Yuan Shao, when encountering things, was always used to habitually protecting Cao Cao behind him.

But... accompanied by the growth of age, and the changes in the external situation.

Yuan and Cao, the two, could no longer be as intimate as they were in their youth.

Especially after the age of thirty, Yuan Shao was recognized as an adopted son by his eldest uncle Yuan Cheng.

Cao Cao also obtained an official position in Luoyang City through the connections of his father Cao Song.

But later.

Cao Cao used the five-colored sticks to beat to death the uncle of a big eunuch among the Ten Regular Attendants, provoking the collective hostility of the Ten Regular Attendants.

At that time, the Ten Regular Attendants, as the long sword in Liu Hong's hands, were at their peak.

Cao Cao provoked them, and the result is conceivable.

Cao Cao's father, Cao Song, therefore scattered all his family wealth, smashed pots and sold iron, wanting to save his son.

But it is a pity.

Relying only on Cao Song's energy, he was not qualified to save Cao Cao.

At the critical moment.

Yuan Shao stood out.

This period was exactly when the aristocratic group and the Ten Regular Attendants were killing each other hotly.

As a key figure of the aristocratic group, Yuan Shao's best choice should actually be to stay out of it, hang high, and prevent the war from burning to himself.

Including several elders of the Yuan family, Yuan Wei, Yuan Feng, and others, also suggested that Yuan Shao should not manage Cao Cao.

But Yuan Shao did not follow them.

On the contrary.

He had a belief of risking himself to save Cao Cao.

Finally, under Yuan Shao's extreme rescue, Cao Cao escaped the persecution of the Ten Regular Attendants.

But the later things, step by step, made Cao Cao and Yuan Shao move towards divergence.

From the Yellow Turban Rebellion to the crusade against Dong Zhuo, and then to the separatist rule of warlords.

The Yuan and Cao in original history interpreted what is called from intimate to final enemies.

And nowadays.

Because of Gu Yi's butterfly effect.

The friendship between Yuan and Cao, although it is still impossible to return to the way it was in their youth.

But... it avoided further deterioration.

Perhaps, from this aspect, it can be considered a good thing.

Of course, whether it is a good thing or a bad thing.

In Cao Cao's heart, the feelings for Yuan Shao were mostly true.

The other small part was the feeling of the rabbit dying and the fox grieving.

Yuan Shao was defeated, then who is next?

Or rather, who else can it be?

Besides him, Cao Mengde.

Gu Yi has no other enemies that need to be eradicated.

"Forget it, forget it, Gu Linzhi personally took command."

"This is, giving Cao a considerable amount of respect."

Although the probability of defeat is very high.

But Cao Cao and Yuan Shao are not quite the same.

Cao Cao believes that although the situation is critical, he still has the opportunity to turn defeat into victory.

Opportunity is always left to those who are prepared.

If he starts to rot now.