"The reason why we want to take Guanzhong is very simple, because Yuan Shu wants to take Guanxi."

Xun Yu looked far away, and the situation in the world has gradually become obvious. Yuan Shao is based on Hebei, Cao Cao is based on the Central Plains, and Yuan Shu occupies the south and Xiliang, this is the future situation in the world in Xun Yu's eyes. Three points of the world, standing on its feet, but Cao Cao was caught in the middle, and the force may be the weakest at that time, which is really unfavorable.

In order to prevent Cao Cao from being eaten by Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao, and finally forming a situation where the two Yuan competed for hegemony, Xun Yu was thinking about how to make Cao Cao stronger, and then swallow one side, and then dominate the world. This is also the only way Xun Yu can think of, so Xun Yu has been thinking about how to weaken Er Yuan.

"Now that the situation in the world is becoming clearer, the lord can only have the capital to compete with Er Yuan if he first unifies the Central Plains. However, the land of the three states of the Central Plains alone is too weak, and we must take precautions and try to occupy as much territory as possible. Qingzhou and Kansai, we must try our best to win ahead of Eryuan. Relatively speaking, Liu Bei is just a dry bone in the grave, so there is nothing to worry about. ”

Xun Yu really doesn't look down on Liu Bei, he is indecisive and doesn't know how to advance or retreat. At the beginning of Cao Cao's attack on Xuzhou, Liu Bei still had a glimmer of life whether he chose to fight for Xuzhou with Cao Cao in a desperate way, or chose to win Guanzhong after death.

But the other party chose to seek stability and compromise with Cao Cao. And then the wave of calculating Yuan Shu ended in failure. This directly led to the fact that although Liu Bei's power does not seem to be weak now, he is actually a turtle in an urn and has no way out, and he has basically lost the opportunity to dominate the world.

In this situation, unless Liu Bei is the reincarnation of Guangwu, he can already withdraw from the stage of the princes competing for hegemony. Xun Yu understood what his cousin Xun Yue was thinking, the day Cao Cao intended to annex Qingzhou was the time when Liu Bei and Cao Cao tore their faces and fought to the death.

And Xun Yu knew, and Yuan Shu was also very clear about this. When the time comes, the tripartite forces will compete, and who is the praying mantis and who is the yellow finch will depend on the ability of all parties.

Without a certain certainty, Xun Yu will definitely not touch the bomb of Qingzhou. When the time comes, it will not only be Liu Bei, but also Yuan Shu, and even Yuan Shao may not be able to help but get involved. After all, half of Qingzhou is considered Hebei, and if Yuan Shao does not control it, it will be difficult to rely on the benefits of the Yellow River.

This is also the reason why the Central Plains is so calm. All parties are contained, and no one is sure enough, so no one dares to move. In the original history, the Central Plains was not so quiet, and it was all a pot of porridge.

There was no way, Yangzhou in the south was in chaos at that time, Jingzhou and Yizhou were watched by Liu Biao and Liu Yan, the two dogs guarding the household, and they had no enterprising heart at all. Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zhan in the north had a good time, so did Liangzhou, Li Yu, Guo Yan and Ma Teng Han Sui had a good time. Cao Cao is a protagonist in the Central Plains, Yuan Shu has a hole in his brain, Liu Bei's subordinates have no good plans, and Lu Bu is also brave and unplanned. This situation is not for Cao Cao to play, he can fight whoever he wants?

But now in this situation, Cao Cao didn't dare to move, he started his whole body, and if he didn't pay attention to it, he might lose all the games, and he could stabilize the foundation of the Central Plains after he didn't take Qingzhou, and to take Qingzhou hastily was to die.

"We can't move in Qingzhou in a short period of time, Liu Bei and Yuan Shao can't fight each other now, and we only have one way to go west." Xi Zhicai said.

"And Yuan Shu is expected to attack Chang'an within next year, so we will occupy Luoyang as early as possible, so we can prepare early. It is best to fish in troubled waters and take Chang'an away from Yuan Shu's hands, and at the worst of all, let Yuan Shu hurt his muscles and bones, and he must not be allowed to take Chang'an easily. ”

"Take food from Yuan Shu's mouth?" Cao Cao frowned and said, "Wen Ruo, you know the strength of Yuan Shu. It's not that I'm arrogant, it's that it's really hard for us to resist! ”

In the previous battle with Yuan Shu, the opponent's troops were still able to defeat their own side due to disadvantage, and they were able to overcome the combined forces of his own side and Liu Beijun, Cao Cao really had no confidence in resisting Yuan Shu.

The news of Yuan Shu's expansion of troops is not a secret, Cao Cao has long known about it.1 He stationed an additional 20,000 troops in Xuzhou at the first time. Liu Bei of Yuzhou was even more ruthless, regardless of the people's strength, and warned of more than 100,000 troops. A Yuzhou has an army of nearly 250,000, and Liu Bei is basically crazy. If war does not break out within three or five years, even with Liu Bei's wealth, it is estimated that he will not be able to afford so many soldiers.

A full 500,000 army, even if Yuan Shu is conservative, can make a Northern Expedition of more than 200,000 troops. In order to take Chang'an and Xiliang, Yuan Shu dispatched no less than 100,000 troops, although Cao Cao still had more than 200,000 troops, but the enemies were around, and he could take out 70,000 or 80,000 to the sky. With such a small number of troops, wanting to capture Chang'an is tantamount to a fool's dream.

"Don't forget, my lord, it's not just us who are afraid of Yuan Shu!" Xi Zhicai said.

Xun Yu nodded: "Yuzhou Liu Bei, Xiliang Ma Teng Han Sui are not people who are willing to be subordinate, they will definitely not condone Yuan Shu to take Chang'an." Especially Ma Teng and Han Sui of Xiliang, the Xiliang Iron Cavalry under their command are all elite, and they can exert the strongest combat power in Guanxi, which is a horse and a flat river. Most of the soldiers under Yuan Shu's command are southerners, not to mention that they are not adapted to the environment in the north, and there are not many cavalry, so it may not be so simple for Yuan Shu to take Guanxi. ”

Cao Cao's eyes lit up: "Yes, Xiliang's Ma Teng, Han Sui, and the Qiang people are not easy people, if Yuan Shu doesn't have many cavalry, it is a fool's dream to take Xiliang." ”

Xi Zhicai sighed, poured a bucket of cold water and said: "Don't believe too much in Ma Teng and Han Sui, these two people are not in harmony with each other, if Yuan Shu uses some discordant tactics, I'm afraid they will be fooled." Moreover, since Yuan Shu intends to take Guanxi, he is naturally prepared, and the lack of cavalry may only temporarily stop Yuan Shu's footsteps. It doesn't take a year or two for Yuan Shu to train a large number of elite riders. ”

Cao Cao was surprised: "How is it possible? Can the South actually train elite riders? How did Yuan Highway do it? ”

Xi Zhicai and Xun Yu glanced at each other, and said with a wry smile: "Gongsun Zhan." ”

"Yuan Highway used the navy to sail all the way to Youzhou along the coastline, and exchanged money and grain for war horses, cattle and sheep and population, and the good horses in Jiangdong may have been no less than tens of thousands."

As the chief military advisor under Cao Cao, although Xi Zhicai's intelligence work is far inferior to Guo Jia, it is not bad. Although the transaction between Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shu was carried out in secret, Youzhou had so much extra money and food for no reason, and everyone knew that there was a problem after a long time. After a little investigation of Xi Zhicai, he knew the cause and effect, and Gongsun Chan had Yuan Shu behind him for blood transfusion.

Long-distance friendship and close attack, Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shu do not have any conflict of interest, not to mention, the situation of the two sides just complements each other. Gongsun Zhan often conquest of foreign races, and the most important thing he lacked was slaves, war horses, cattle and sheep, and Yuan Shu needed just these things the most. And Yuan Shu sits in the rich land in the south, and the most important thing is money and food, and it just so happens that Gongsun Chan needs these things the most. The two sides hit it off, quickly hooked up for each other, and the relationship became closer and closer.

With Yuan Shu's help, although Gongsun Zhan was greatly injured in the battle at Jieqiao, he quickly recovered. Not only that, but it is also getting stronger.

With Yuan Shu, a profiteer, Gongsun Chan has embarked on a virtuous cycle of conquest of foreign races and expansion of power, and then exchange the foreign population, war horses, cattle and sheep obtained for money and food in Yuan Shu, and then recruit troops and horses, and then conquer foreign races.

Not to mention the continuous expansion of power, its own strength is also growing. The excess money and grain were also sprinkled by Gongsun Zhan, who was stubborn and self-serving, to the people under his command, and Yizhou won the hearts of the people and quickly returned to it. The whole Youzhou is thriving.