It was midnight when Guo Tu walked out of Yuan Tan's tent, and in the cool moonlight, he climbed straight up a steep slope to the west of the camp. But I saw that the countless bonfires below the hillside converged into a swaying band of light like stars, accompanied by the winding Eile River, it looked like two giant pythons, one white and one black, lying horizontally on the grassland. This riverbank with countless bonfires is the camp of the Xianbei people. However, at this time, the root of the step had already finished the exercise, and not only was there no trace of the Jin Ge Iron Horse outside the camp, but at first glance it looked quite peaceful.

As the mastermind of Yuan Tan, Guo Tu knew very well that his lord was very inward-looking, and he couldn't control the ambitious Hu Chief like Budugen. On the contrary, once Bu Dugen figured out the details of Yuan Tan and used Hu Lu's unrighteous temperament to see profit, he would not hesitate to send Yuan Tan and his head to Xu Du or Donglai for reward. Therefore, Guo Tu must pull up a tiger skin for Yuan Tan that can protect himself before Budu has a different heart. And looking at the entire northern land, the only princes with this strength and prestige are Gongsun Du's family. It's just that the grandson who dominates the northern land will not be easy to match.

A gust of cold wind swept through Guo Tu's cloak to protect him from the cold, and suddenly heard a cold female voice in his ears, "The military advisor wants to lead the Hu people to knock south?" ”

Guo Tu didn't look back, still staring at the bonfire at the foot of the mountain, and said frankly, "Your Majesty has formed an alliance with Budugen, and when the autumn is high and the horse is fat, he will raise troops to go south." ”

Perhaps Guo Tu answered too bluntly, and the shadow hidden in the darkness fell silent for a while. However, before the other party could think deeply, Guo Tu had already turned around and said, "If the monarch is concerned about this matter, he can leave on his own." The old man is not reluctant. ”

The woman who emerged from the darkness was Yu Ji's henchman Jun Yali. At this moment, in the face of Guo Tu's slightly provocative statement, Jun Yali asked quietly and rhetorically, "Who does the military advisor want to attack this time when he goes south?" ”

"Cai Ji."

The two words that Guo Tu slowly spit out were like a poisonous snake that went straight to Jun Yali's heart. Remorse and hatred instantly distorted the normally cold face. Today's Jun Yali dreams of the day Yecheng fell every night, dreams of fighting with Duan Emei, and dreams of Cao Bing pouring in like a tide. I dreamed of the sky-high fire of the National Teacher's Mansion. In the midst of the chaos, Jun Yali didn't even manage to recapture the corpse of Immortal Master Yu Ji. Deep self-reproach and remorse eventually turned into an obsession for revenge. In Jun Yali's opinion, although it was Cao Cao who conquered Yecheng, the murderers of the immortal master must be Cai Ji and Lin Fei. Therefore, when he heard that Guo Tu planned to lead the Xianbei people south to attack Cai, Jun Yali immediately stepped forward and hugged her fist, "Yali just wants revenge!" I wonder when the military division will go south? Yali is willing to do the work of dogs and horses. ”

Jun Yali's answer was obviously expected by Guo Tu. At the beginning, Jun Yali fled from Yecheng and defected to Yuan Tan. At first, Yuan Tan did not intend to accept this woman with a suspicious identity. After all, the demon Dao Yu Ji was introduced to Yuan Shao by Cai Ji. And Yu Ji himself, after joining Yuan Shao's command, has always been Mrs. Liu and Yuan Shang, the mother and son, and ignored Yuan Tan, who was supposed to be the orthodox heir of the Yuan family. However, compared to Yuan Tan, who has never had a lot of energy, Guo Tu doesn't mind Jun Yali's background at all. He not only persuaded Yuan Tan to take Jun Yali in, but also promised Jun Yali that he would give her a chance to take revenge. Because in Guo Tu's view. The rooster and dog thief are also talents, not to mention a stranger with unique skills like Jun Yali.

I saw Guo Tu twisting his long beard in his hand, turning his head and asking, "The heroine gave up her life to seek revenge on Cai Anzhen?" ”

"Yes." Jun Yali nodded without thinking. is different from Duan Emei, who was born in the general's door. Jun Yali has been a believer in Taiping Tao since she can remember. Although she doesn't know who her parents are, Jun Yali has never regretted it, because for her, Taiping Road is home. The immortal master is the father. All Taoist friends are brothers. But now, not only has the once prosperous Yellow Turban Army been defeated and wiped out, but even the immortal master has died at the hands of Cai Ji's evil woman. In the eyes of Jun Yali, who had already lost a qiē, revenge was the only color she could see.

After Guo Tu received a categorical reply from the other party, an unintentional smile appeared on the old man's face, "Good, since Jun Nuxia has this determination, then accompany the old man to Liaodong for a mess." ”

"Liaodong?" Jun Yali frowned puzzledly and asked, "Don't go to Donglai?" ”

"Don't go to Donglai." Guo Tu shook his head. Calmly explained to Jun Yali, "The old man plans to go to Liaodong to persuade Liaodong Hou Gongsun Du to form an alliance with my lord and go south to crusade against Cai Ji. Once it is done, the heroine's revenge can be avenged. ”

Jun Yali didn't know how to cooperate with vertical and horizontal strategies, but she also knew that Gongsun Du was an extremely strong prince in the north. Even if he was defeated by Pang Tong and others in Jinxi before, he was always stronger than the current Yuan Tan. Therefore, after listening to Guo Tu's plan, Jun Yali nodded and agreed without saying a word, "Okay." ”

In this way, please pack your bags, and we will leave tomorrow. After Guo Tu finished speaking, he politely arched his hand towards Jun Yali, and then turned around to go back to his tent.

The back of the old man in the moonlight was like a ghost hidden in the night, stiff and thin, which made Jun Yali's heart can't help but rise a trace of indescribable unease. It is undeniable that Guo Tu's reputation in the outside world is not good. Jun Yali had heard rumors more than once in Yecheng about Guo Tu instigating Yuan Tan to "abandon his father and run away". Thinking of this, Jun Yali couldn't help but shout at Guo Tu, "Gongsun Du will really agree?" ”

Guo Tu stopped, turned his head and stared at Jun Yali, and there was a strange light in the eyes of the chaotic old flowers. After a few moments, the old man replied with a confident smile on his face, "The old man will let him agree." ”

Yuan Shao was once destroyed, and his people were scattered all over the place, but not every remnant of the Yuan clan seemed to harbor a heart of revenge. Compared with Yuan Tan and Guo Tu, who were planning to go south to the Central Plains, Yuan Lei chose to go with the flow. As the house slave of the Yuan Mansion, Yuan Lei should have been more loyal to the Yuan family than Guo Tu. It's just that Mrs. Liu, who once ordered him to go undercover for Zhang Hebu, has already become a person in Prime Minister Cao's house. Today's Yuan Lei is a veritable free body, not only that, but he was also promoted to the capital because of his previous meritorious work in suppressing bandits.

"Qingzhou is really my blessed land." ——Yuan Lei sighed in his heart, and turned his gaze to the Dianjiangtai in front of him. saw the flag flying on the high platform, and Yuan Lei's top boss Langya Taishou was talking happily with a young woman in a water-green dress. The woman was only in her twenties, her neck was like Qiongyu, her hair was like cloud temples, but her eyebrows were full of a momentum that was not angry and self-threatening, and her slender figure not only looked abrupt before standing in the military array, but was set off by the thousands of troops and horses below. No need to ask. This strange woman is the big Han Qihou Cai Ji and Cai Anzhen of "Zhu Yuan Shao, Pinghebei".

If it is said that when Zhang Jaw first met Cai Ji six years ago, the other party was only an orphan girl with a fox and a fake tiger. Now Cai Anzhen has undoubtedly used Yuan Shao's corpse to show the world that she is a well-deserved prince of the Northland. And Zhang Jaw, who watched Cai Ji step by step to today's status, was even more convinced by the woman in front of him. After all, a seven-foot man who can earn such a family business is also rare in the world. Since Cai Ji has proved his strength with practical actions. The relationship between Zhang Jaw and him has also progressed from a semi-ally to a subordinate and subordinate. But he saw him step forward and clench his fists to Cai Ji and confess, "This time Yuan Shao went north to the north, and he failed to lead the troops to accompany him, and I asked the Marquis of Qi to forgive me." ”

Seeing this, Cai Ji hurriedly stretched out his hand and said. Zhang Fujun's words are wrong. If it weren't for Zhang Fujun sitting in Xuzhou and Wei Zhenxiao, how could Lone lead his troops north with peace of mind. What's more, Wu Zhong is brave and good at fighting, and this time he has made outstanding achievements in Hebei. ”

The Wu Zhong mentioned by Cai Ji was Zhang Quan, Zhang Wuzhong, Zhang Jaw's nephew. At this moment, I heard Cai Ji praise his nephew in public. Zhang Jaw was overjoyed and said, "It's rare that the little nephew Wu Zhong can win the favor of the Marquis of Qi, and I am willing to put it under the command of the Marquis of Qi along with a thousand songs." At the disposal of the Marquis of Qi. ”

Face the elite soldiers on the open jaw. A knowing smile appeared on Cai Ji's face. Dedicating one of their elite soldiers to the princes for their disposal was a common way for the powerful to show their submission to the princes in this era. For example, Zang Ba in Xuzhou once took the initiative to put one of his own music units under Cao Cao's command. However, this submission is often based on the princes' own charisma. Historically, after Cao Cao's death, because he was not optimistic about Cao Pi, who succeeded to the throne, Zang Ba and other young Xu Haoqiang transferred away the Qubu that he left in Cao Ying at the first time. After Cao Pi became emperor, he used the Battle of Guangling to deal with Zang Ba and other powerful people who were entrenched in Qingxu, so as to achieve the internal unity of Wei. In this regard, Cao Cao was the spiritual pillar of the Wei state. Cao Pi was the founder of the Wei state.

Cai Ji, who came from the era of great unification in later generations, certainly hoped to rule the territory under her control with a reasonable system, rather than relying solely on her own charm to maintain her rule. But after all, "Qi" is an emerging force that has only been formed for a year, and it is in an era of rising together. It is wise to unite the forces that can be united. Now that Zhang Jaw personally went north to Longkou to express his submission to himself, how could he turn people away. What's more, Zhang Jaw is not the only one who holds military and political power in the jurisdiction, and almost every expatriate general of Tai Shici, Zhang Liao, and Gao Shun has been given great rights.

There is a cloud in the art of war, "the general is outside, and the king's order is not affected". This is both a strategy and a principle. However, as long as the Ming monarch and holy lord are sober-minded, they only control the generals who are fighting from afar and give the generals full autonomy, instead of "doing everything in detail" and personally intervening in the front-line military affairs. After all, in the era of cold weapons, the defects in communication technology cannot be made up for by relying on a few advanced systems. For example, the Later Song Dynasty and the Song Dynasty made relevant attempts, and the result of violating the principle was that the two Song Dynasty suffered military defeats one after another.

Cai Ji, who is well versed in history, will not make mistakes that have been proven by later generations. Of course, acting according to principles does not mean that everything will be fine. Cai Ji also knew that giving too much power to the generals would lead to the danger of separating the feudal towns. But after all, cutting the feudal domain is the work after dominating the world. Now what Cai Ji needs is strength. So the next moment, she gladly accepted the surrender of Zhang Jaw, and smiled at the other party, "That lonely is disrespectful." ”

Seeing that Cai Ji accepted his surrender, Zhang Jaw was relieved. The surrounding civil and military forces were even more rejoicing at the fact that their lords had further consolidated their rule over Xuzhou. In the midst of the congratulatory voice, Cai Ji looked at the soldiers and horses brought by Zhang Jaw in front of him and asked, "Junyi, Xuzhou has always been a battleground for soldiers. I wonder what happens? ”

Although Xuzhou is a battleground for soldiers, there are only Cao Cai's two forces left in Xuzhou today. The only one who can compete with Cai Ji is Cao Cao. How could Zhang Jaw not know Cai Ji's extra-string sound. But seeing that Cai Ji called his own words, Zhang Jaw also changed his words and replied, "Back to the Lord, Cao Cao has ordered all the armies to recuperate since the Yecheng class returned to the court. Xuzhou has not had a military incident for a year. ”

It is reasonable for Cao Cao to choose to recuperate after destroying Yuan, but the fact that Xuzhou has not fought for a year makes Cai Ji feel a little incredible. At least in history, Sun Ce in the south took advantage of Cao Cao's northward journey to make a lot of small moves in Xuzhou. After thinking about this, Cai Ji continued to ask, "There is no war in Guangling?"

Zhang Jaw didn't know why Cai Ji asked Guangling County alone, and couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. Guo Jia, who was on the side, took Cai Ji's question for him, "Back to the Lord, Sun Ce and Liu Bei have been facing Liling for more than half a year. ”

"Oh?! So Changsha hasn't changed hands yet?" After being reminded by Guo Jiayi, Cai Ji remembered that the previous battle report had shown that Sun Ce led his troops south with Zhou Yu in order to capture Changsha. But at that time, he had just started the Northern Expedition. Now Cai Ji and Cao Cao not only teamed up to eliminate Yuan Shao, but also carved up the four states of Hebei. Sun Ce and Liu Bei were still facing each other in Liling, on the outskirts of Changsha. It can be seen that Liu Biao should not have taken Changsha, otherwise the Sun and Liu families would have withdrawn their troops a long time ago. The protracted Battle of Changsha made Cai Ji doubt the strength of the southern princes. Even if Liu Biao is forgotten, Liu Bei and Sun Ce are also so bad. Are these two really Shu Wu who can compete with Cao Wei in the future?

Guo Jia saw that Cai Ji's expression gradually changed from puzzlement to disdain, and quickly shook his head and explained, "Lord Mingjian, it would not be surprising if there was no landslide and earth cracking technique to attack the city for several years. What's more, Jingzhou is mountainous, and it is not as flat as Hebei. ”

Guo Jia's suggestion made Cai Ji quickly come back to his senses. Indeed, it is difficult to achieve results in attacking a big city like Changsha with the weapons of this era without two or three years of effort. In history, Liu Biao won Changsha because of the death of Taishou Zhang Xian, not the city of Changsha. So now it's not that Liu Bei and Sun Ce have become weaker, but that Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao's father and son in advance with the help of Cai Ji. It must be known that according to the original historical trajectory, Cao Cao should have conquered Yecheng in the ninth year of Jian'an, and swept away the Yuan brothers who had wandered to Wuhuan in the twelfth year of Jian'an. And now it has only been six years since Jian'an, which means that Cao Cao pacified Hebei at least three years earlier than the original history. Although Cao Cao's territory is also half smaller than the original history, from another perspective, this also means that Cao Cao's forces in this time and space will be more concentrated, and his desire to attack cities and plunder land will also be higher. On the other hand, Liu Biao, Liu Bei, and Sun Ce each consumed a lot of strength because of the competition for Changsha.

Thinking that in order to contain Cao Cao, Cai Ji spent a lot of effort to help Liu Bei gain a firm foothold in Lujiang. But now looking back, Liu Bei not only failed to contain Cao Cao in Lujiang, but fell into a war of attrition with Sun Ce, which cost him the strength of the southern princes. It can really be said that people are not as good as heaven. However, before Cai Ji could express his depression, Tian Feng, who was standing on the side, had already taken the lead and sighed, "If Cao Cao finishes resting, the southern princes will be in danger." (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation and monthly passes, and your support is my biggest motivation. For mobile phone users, please go to read. )