Today's Yuan Shao has firmly controlled Jizhou, and has successively occupied Qingzhou, Youzhou and important counties in Bingzhou, becoming the largest force in the Kanto region.

When faced with important decisions, he acts more and more seriously.

He also wanted to see what attitude the other forces in the eastern part of the Kwantung would show to the Luoyang court, which shouted "revive the Han dynasty and return it to the old capital".

···

Yuzhou, Runan, Pingyu City.

Yanzhou Mu Cao Cao is currently garrisoned here.

Cao Cao's big tent, Cao Cao, who had just returned from the camp, took off his hood, and he knelt behind the desk with light armor on his body, looking at the military books and documents that were raised high on the left side of the case, and his right arm was propped up with his elbow and his head was on the side, as if the headache had flareed up again.

Compared with Yuan Shao's mansion, Cao Cao's military tent can be described as pitiful, except for daily necessities, weapons and armor, only this case of military books is left, and there is no decoration at all.

Cao Cao's posture is not as graceful and luxurious as Yuan Shao, after a few years, his complexion has become dark, and the traces of the children of the eunuchs that he still had on his body have long been gone, and the whole person has become more and more lean and capable.

Right now, what worries him is the problem of Runan County.

Since the rebellion in Yanzhou was put down last year, Cao's army has gradually come out of the predicament of decline, and Cao Cao, who has wiped out the overt and covert opposition forces in the territory, has also reached a new height in Yanzhou's prestige.

Therefore, Cao Cao, who had eased up a little, couldn't wait to send troops to Yuzhou in the spring of this year.

Cao Cao is not in a hurry, because Guo Gong, the assassin of Yuzhou, who originally liked to take advantage of the fire to rob, has been defeated by Liu Biao, Yuzhou has no owner, and all the forces around Yuzhou have been dispatched again and intervened in the territory of Yuzhou.

Cao Cao also took a fancy to the territory of Yuzhou, so in the name of "exterminating the Yellow Turban Remnant Party", Chen Liu, in Yanzhou, sent troops and invaded Yuzhou in a big way.

Yuzhou is in the middle of the four directions, and the forces in the territory are complicated, Yingchuan and Runan are entrenched in a large number of Yellow Turban remnants; In the territory of Chen State, it was Chen Wang Liu Chong, Chen Xiang Luo Jun and Yuan Shu's self-placed Chen Xiang Yuan Si who attacked each other, while Pei Guo had Xuzhou's soldiers and horses to occupy some cities; In addition, the forces of Liu Biao and Yuan Shu continued to recruit the powerful and homeless people in the territory, and they also infiltrated Yuzhou.

Cao Cao first picked the Yellow Turban Army, which had the largest number of people and the weakest combat power, and was invincible all the way. In the middle of the month, Runan, Yingchuan Yellow Turban, He Yi, Liu Pi, Huang Shao, He Man, etc., died or surrendered under the front of Cao Jun's soldiers, and the rest also fled.

Cao's army successfully occupied the two counties of Yingchuan and Runan, and during this period, he also sent troops to Chen Guo and forced the landing of Chen Xiang Yuan Hei, who was set up by Yuan Shu.

In addition to some cities in Peijun that are still in the hands of Xuzhou soldiers and horses, it can be said that most of Yuzhou has fallen into Cao Cao's pocket.

However, occupying Yuzhou does not mean that you control Yuzhou.

Cao Cao knew that the forces in Yuzhou were intricate, sandwiched between the major forces, and the two ends of the people in the territory could not be pacified by relying on their own military strength in a short time.

Compared with He Yi, Liu Pi, Huang Shao, He Man, etc., although they are the remnants of the Yellow Turban, they have also attached themselves to Sun Jian, Yuan Shu and others who once occupied Yuzhou.

This time, Cao Cao pacified the Yellow Turbans in Yingchuan and Runan, and captured a large number of cattle and grain from the powerful and displaced people under the rule of the Yellow Turban Army.

But how to govern Yuzhou, especially Runan County, which was sandwiched between the two major forces of Liu Biao and Yuan Shu, became Cao Cao's most difficult problem.

As a large county of the Han Empire, Runan had jurisdiction over 37 cities, and the population of the Chengping period was equivalent to the population of several inland counties.

After Cao Jun took away He Yi and other Yellow Turban populations, there was a power vacuum in the huge Runan County, and Yuan Shu of Huainan and Liu Biao of Jingxiang were very likely to take advantage of the situation and occupy Runan County again.

Yuan Shu is well-known in Runan by virtue of Yuan's family reputation, but now it is just because he is busy fighting for Xuzhou with Liu Bei, and has no time to take into account the changes in Yuzhou.

As for Liu Biao, he defeated Guo Gong, the assassin of Yuzhou, naturally he would not think about helping Cao Cao, Yuan Shu and others to control Yuzhou, he had already recruited Haoqiang and Shimin in the west of Runan, and there were faint signs of meddling in Yuzhou.

The people who stay to govern Runan not only need to be able to govern the army and the people on horseback, but also need to have a certain degree of popularity in Runan.

Cao Cao thought about it, but he couldn't find a suitable candidate for Wenwu under his command, and when he was having a headache, footsteps sounded outside the tent, and then a familiar voice came.

"Ming Gong, letter from Yanzhou!"

"Come in!"

With Cao Cao's permission, the man lifted the curtain of the tent and calmly walked in from outside the tent.

The person who came was young and beautiful, dressed as a scribe, with a slightly pale complexion and a somewhat thin body, it was Guo Jia, the new strategist of Cao Cao this year.

Although the civil strife and rebellion in Yanzhou greatly damaged Cao Cao's vitality, a large number of civil servants such as Chen Gong, Wei Chong, Bi Zhan, etc., and military generals such as Xue Lan, Li Feng, Xu Xi, Mao Hui, etc., defected from Cao Cao, but they did not break or stand, and Cao Cao was even more eager to think about virtue after pacifying the civil strife in Yanzhou, and soon promoted and recruited a group of new strategists and good generals.

Military officials and local heroes like Le Jin, Yu Ban, and Li Chuan stood out in the chaos and were promoted to military generals by Cao Cao according to their military exploits and awarded official positions.

Among the ministers and strategists, in addition to Xun Yu, Cheng Yu, and Zaoyi, who made great contributions in the rebellion, the most important thing was to get the strategist Guo Jia after the war.

Cao Cao has always felt that there is a lack of strategists around him who can analyze the situation and give advice for him.

Although Xun Yu and Cheng Yu were often able to help themselves make decisions when they were in Yanzhou, once they led the army to fight and left Yanzhou, Xun Yu, who was sitting in the rear, and Cheng Yu, who was over half a hundred years old, did not often accompany the army.

And Guo Jia, who left under Yuan Shao, was recommended by Xun Yu, and joined himself in his own command, just filled such a vacancy.

The first time the two met, it was like a fish in water. Cao Cao thought that the one who could help him achieve great things must be this person, and Guo Jia was also happy to meet the master in his heart, and said happily: "My lord is also!" ”

Now seeing Guo Jia walk in, Cao Cao was not formal, he also got up with a smile, and said with a smile:

"Fengxiao, you came just in time, I just happened to discuss the military plane with you!"

As he spoke, Cao Cao had already approached Guo Jia, took the documents submitted by Guo Jia with one hand, supported Guo Jia who wanted to salute with the other, and said with a little complaint:

"If there is no one else in the tent, there is no need to be polite, so restrained, learn to rot Confucian?"

It is said that when Confucius made a pilgrimage to meet the king of Lu, when he entered the door, he bowed his head, cautiously and respectfully, as if the gate did not allow him to enter with his body straight. When standing, not in the middle of the door; When walking, don't step on the threshold.

During the recital, Confucius had to carry his clothes up the stairs and hold his breath as if he did not dare to breathe. When he passed the throne, his face was solemn and serious, his demeanor was cautious, and he spoke as if he was lacking in qi.

When he exited, he went down a step before Confucius's face relaxed and showed a relaxed appearance.

But after descending the steps, Confucius had to walk briskly, moving as briskly as a bird spreading its wings. When he returned to his position, Confucius had to appear respectful and uneasy.

Among Cao Cao's state capitals, there are also some Confucian scholars who are ancient in history, they learn the etiquette of Confucius vividly, and when they meet Cao Cao, they are also trembling, like walking on thin ice, and the voice they say is like a lack of qi, which makes Cao Cao, who does not like red tape, frown.

Therefore, today, Cao Cao deliberately said this incident to joke with Guo Jia.

Of course, Guo Jia was not a Confucian who adhered to etiquette, he laughed when he heard this, and straightened his body again.

In the middle of the joke, Cao Cao confirmed that the documents sent from the state capital were not defaced or damaged, and then turned around and used the copper on the desk to cut off the mud seal on the documents, unfolded the documents, and browsed the contents of the state government documents at a glance.

Unexpectedly, Cao Cao, who had read the document quickly, gradually put away the smile on his face, and his brows were tightly furrowed.