Sun Ce held on to the railing, looked at the rippling blue waters of the lake and the smoke-like willow branches by the lake, and was silent for a moment.

He knew what Guo Jia wanted to do. Intercept and kill Liu He on the way, destroy Yuan Shao's Youzhou strategy, and prevent Yuan Shao from going south. What if it succeeds? It really forced Yuan Shao to calm down, first solve Youzhou, manage the north of the river, and then go south to fight a decisive battle, which may not be a good thing for him.

It is easier to beat a Yuan Shao who does not have Youzhou in hand than Yuan Shao who has Youzhou in hand.

"Forget it, with that old ranger here, you won't have a chance, maybe you will make a fuss. Send someone to inform Tao Ying and ask him to persuade Tao Qian, this old man has been sick for half a year, it should be about the same. ”

"General, Liu He is no better than Liu Yu, he is not only young, but also knows the art of war, can fight well, if he inherits Liu Yu's reputation and controls Youzhou, it will not be good news for us."

Sun Ce turned around and leaned against the railing. "Who do you think has more advantages, Liu He or Liu Bei?"

"Each has its own strengths."

"Can Zhang Ze watch Liu He control Youzhou?"

"It's unlikely, but Zhang is an official of the imperial court, the Son of Heaven has not yet taken charge, and there are still party members in the court......"

Sun Ce raised his hand and signaled Guo Jia not to worry. "The situation in Youzhou is very complicated, I'm afraid you can't guess, but there are two basic points that cannot be changed. One is that Youzhou cannot be self-sufficient, if Liu He wants to control Youzhou, he must rely on Yuan Shao, and Jizhou cannot supply Youzhou for a long time, this contradiction is unsolvable. The second is that Gongsun Chan killed Liu Yu, and Liu He swore with him that there would be a battle. Liu He's arrival in Youzhou is conducive to Gongsun Zhan moving closer to us, and we can take this opportunity to take Qingzhou. ”

Sun Ce patted the railing and continued: "Yuan Shao wants to take Liu He away, and he has to give up Xiapi and Guangling, but he will not give up in vain, and he will definitely make a deal with Tao Qian." Tao Qian is seriously ill, and Xu You is likely to choose a potter as an alternative. In this way, Tao Ying also needs our help, and we can take advantage of the situation to wedge into Xuzhou and gradually devour Qingxu. ”

Guo Jia smiled, and the feather fan shook gently. "The general is right, since the situation is complex and unpredictable, it is better to make some benefits first. In the final analysis, strength is fundamental. Then let Liu He live a few more years, he won't be able to turn the sky over anyway. ”

——

Own.

Lu Fan dismounted in front of the county temple, Cao Ang happened to come out from inside, bowed his hand, and after a few cold words, he welcomed Lu Fan to the atrium hall and sat down. Lu Fan didn't go around in circles, he got straight to the point, Sun Ce wanted to invite Cao Ang to go to Pingyu to discuss how to deal with the epidemic in Yanzhou.

Before the words fell, Pan Zhang jumped up, pulled out a long knife with a "swish", and put it on Lu Fan's neck. "Say it again!"

Lu Fan didn't even look at Pan Zhang, and his eyes kept falling on Cao Ang's face. Cao Ang thought for a while, got up and pushed Pan Zhang away, and apologized to Lu Fan. Ang Guan was at a loss, and he smiled. Without further ado, please wait a minute, I'll pack up and set you off. ”

"Envoy, by all means." Pan Zhang grabbed Cao Ang and almost begged. "This won't work, you won't be able to live if you go."

Lu Fan said: "If the general can't trust General Sun, I can stay here as a hostage." ”

"Shut up!" Pan Zhang's eyes were red in a hurry, and he followed Cao Ang into the inner room, closed the door, knelt down with a plop, and kowtowed again and again. "Envoy, please listen to me. This must be Sun Ce's plan, so that the king will go like a sheep into the mouth of a tiger, even if he does not die, he will become a prisoner. Please think again. I am a rough man and can't speak, if the envoy must go, please wait for two days, and send someone to Changyi to ask for instructions on the sacrificial wine, and then make a decision. ”

Cao Ang helped Pan Zhang up. "Wen Jue, do you know how many people in Yanzhou are dying a day due to the epidemic now?"

Pan Zhang lowered his head. He follows Cao Ang every day, of course he knows. During the epidemic for half a year, almost every family in Yanzhou had sick people, and some of his people died due to the epidemic.

"If I go a day earlier, I can die a few hundred fewer people, and even if I die, it's worth it. Besides, General Sun is not an idle person, and there are many strategists around him, so he will not easily kill me and ruin his reputation. Chen Xijiu was already well thought out when it was designed, otherwise I wouldn't have been allowed to go to Yu County. What is the difference between going to Pingyu and going to Yu County, it's just that the distance is farther. You don't have to worry. ”

"However, before leaving, Chen Xijiu said......"

Cao Ang's face sank. "Will be outside, the monarch's order is still not subject to it, why, even I can't make a decision?"

Pan Ang was helpless, so he had to nod and agree. "I walked with the general, not an inch."

"It's nature!"

Cao Ang simply cleaned up, set off with Lu Fan, and rushed to Pingyu. He only brought Pan Zhang and more than a dozen other people, and the other guards and knights stayed in his own clan, and Li Jin was ordered by his own clan. Before leaving, he wrote a letter to Chen Gong, explaining his considerations, and asked Chen Gong to preside over Yanzhou's affairs, hoping that he would cooperate with Cao Ren to hold Yanzhou and not give anyone a chance to take advantage of it.

A day later, Chen Gong received the news and was shocked. He immediately informed Cao Ren. Cao Ren was also taken aback after reading Cao Ang's letter.

"Gongtai, I'll take someone to my clan to pick up."

Chen Gong shook his head again and again. "It's too late, so that the king's mind is already decided, we can't stop him. Alas, it was my incompetence that humiliated the king. ”

Cao Ren also sighed and comforted: "Gongtai, thanks to your hard work in the past half a year, otherwise Yanzhou would have collapsed a long time ago." Zixiu has always respected you and has no intention of reproaching. He was also forced by the situation to do this, and he didn't mean to do what he wanted, and he hoped that the public platform wouldn't mind. ”

Chen Gong held his forehead and sighed. Cao Ang's hand made him unprepared at all, let alone react. The Ji clan is on the border of the two counties, and now that Cao Ang is likely to have crossed Suishui, even if he sends someone to chase after him, he may not be able to catch up, and if he can catch up, he may not be able to persuade him to return. After a few years of experience, Cao Ang has grown up unconsciously, and he is willing to take on the burden of Yanzhou, and he can afford it.

"Seek benevolence and get benevolence, what grievances does the husband have?" Chen Gong pondered for a long time, and said faintly: "Perhaps, this is his life, Yanzhou's life." General Cao, gather as many men as possible, if you can't return safely, we will fight to the death with Sun Ce. If you can come back alive, we will block Yuan Shao for Sun Ce and repay the grace of saving his life. ”

Cao Ren was surprised. "Against the Alliance?"

"If you don't save him when he dies, what face does he have as the leader of the alliance?" Chen Gong smiled bitterly: "I hope that the king's actions can make my Yanzhou scholars see clearly who is the real benevolent, and don't be half-hearted from now on." With the strength of one state, Yanzhou still has a chance to prove that it is not dispensable. ”

Cao Ren looked at Chen Gong, whose expression was becoming more and more resolute, nodded, and was about to turn around and go out, when he was stopped by Chen Gong again. "General, I want to go out for more than ten days, the affairs in the house, there are Mao Jie, Wang Yu and others to preside, and you will preside over the military affairs, I hope you can cooperate with the tacit understanding and live up to the expectations of the king."

"Gongtai, where are you going?" Cao Ren was nervous. "The epidemic is so serious, it's dangerous for you to walk around."

"I'm going to go to the houses. Even if they ask, they are asked to be kind. ”