In the spring of the twelfth year of Jian'an (207 AD).

Jizhou, Yecheng.

Yecheng used to be the capital of Yuan Shao, its city is seven miles from east to west, five miles from north to south, the city is more than three zhang high, the north is adjacent to Zhangshui, and the traffic is reachable. At the same time, Jizhou is a large state in the north, with fertile land and solid household registration, Yecheng, as the seat of Jizhou, soon became the central city north of the Yellow River.

Since Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao, he moved the shogunate to Yecheng, leaving the king of Changshi to guard the Han family as his spokesman. Cao Cao's move was actually unwilling to meet the increasingly gloomy Son of Heaven in person, and at the same time, he also saved a lot of red tape and avoided the embarrassment of living in the same city as the Son of Heaven. Since Cao Cao moved to Yecheng, the construction of this place has also become more and more intensive. A few years later, it is in the northwest corner of Yecheng to build a lot of construction, successively built the Tongque Terrace, the Golden Tiger Terrace, the Bingjing Terrace, called the three platforms in Yezhong, for a time the pavilions and pavilions rise from the ground, it is magnificent. Of course, the overhaul of the pavilion will be a later story.

At this time, on the outskirts of Yecheng, hunting with banners, guns and armor are cold, and an endless army is walking on the official road. Walking in the forefront of the team was a general dressed in red bright light armor, covered with a red coat, and leaning on the heavenly long sword at his waist, and a large banner was erected behind him, with a big "Cao" character written on it. This person is Cao Cao and Cao Mengde, who are ranked as the third duke.

It is the spring ploughing season, and countless farmers are working hard in the fields, looking forward to a bumper harvest this year.

Cao Cao has always attached great importance to farming, so he ordered the army not to trample on the farmland, and violators were immediately beheaded.

Under the strict order, although Cao Jun was large in number and the road was narrow, he did not dare to leave the road easily and walked into the fields next to the road.

Under the command of Cao Cao, this brave and warlike army defeated the pirate Guan Cheng in one battle, and the only regret was that he failed to cut off Guan Cheng's own head, and let him escape to the nameless island. However, Guan Cheng's main force has basically been wiped out, and the remaining remnants of the bandits can be solved by relying on local garrisons, so this military operation can be regarded as a victorious end. Cao Cao didn't want to stay longer for a moment, and immediately led his army back to Yecheng. Because he had already received the news, Yuan Shao's second sons, Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi, united Wuhuan in western Liaoxi and were ready to counterattack south at any time.

Yecheng was once run by Yuan Shao for many years. Although Yuan Shao is dead, his influence still exists, and Cao Cao is very uneasy about this. So he decided to return to Yecheng to defend against the threat from the north.

Not far away, the tall city wall of Yecheng was in front of him, and Cao Cao couldn't help but feel a little excited when he saw this. Just a few years ago, Yuan Shao was still commanding himself in this fortified city, as if he was the overlord of the world. But now that the former overlord is gone, his heirs have been exhausted in the infighting. If it weren't for that, he wouldn't have been able to become the master of this fortified city. All this is not easy to come by, and there is even some element of luck, so Cao Cao will definitely not let the victory in hand be handed over.

As he marched, Cao Cao looked back at one of the strategists who followed him. This strategist has a thin body and a slightly haggard appearance, but his eyes are blazing, he is Guo Jia Guo Fengxiao, Cao Cao's most trusted strategist, and the best strategist in Cao Cao's heart.

At this moment, Cao Cao deliberately slowed down and rode side by side with Guo Jia.

"Fengxiao has worked hard all the way." Cao Cao said with concern.

When Guo Jia heard this, he hurriedly gestured to Cao Cao, and replied repeatedly:

"Where, to be able to follow the lord to fight in the south and in the north is the wish of the minister's life. I just hope that the lord will dislike his subordinates for their poor health, which has dragged down the lord. ”

"Why did Feng Xiao say this? If Feng Xiao wasn't by his side, he wouldn't know how to fight. Cao Cao said with a smile.

"The lord is too elevated to the ministers." Guo Jiaqian said.

I saw Cao Cao raise his horsewhip, raise his hand and point to the city tower in front of him, and asked Guo Jia:

"The army is about to arrive in Yecheng. Regarding the threat from the north, Bonghyo thinks it is better for Lone to take the initiative to attack, or to stick to the defense? ”

Guo Jia shook his head and replied in a deep voice:

"The minister thinks it's better to take the initiative."

When Cao Cao heard this, his face was embarrassed, and he continued:

But all the generals thought that Yuan Shang was just a general of the defeated army, and Wuhuan was greedy and untrustworthy. It is impossible for these two groups to work together, so they are not a big threat to us. Moreover, the land of western Liaoning is too remote, and there are many disadvantages for the labor expedition. Once our army penetrates deep into the hinterland, Liu Bei will inevitably suggest to Liu Biao to attack the rear town of Xudu. If they really let them capture Xudu and rob His Majesty, then we really regret it. ”

Having said that, Cao Cao is not a blind follower, and if he thinks he is reasonable, it is not difficult for him to overcome public opinion. It's just that Cao Cao really can't pay attention to the matter of the Northern Expedition, so he will consult Guo Jia's opinion.

Guo Jia waved his hand and said in a firm tone:

The minister disagreed. Although the lord is powerful and strong, Wuhuan will not be able to defend himself because of his remoteness. If the lord quickly sent troops to Liaoxi, he would definitely be able to annihilate it in one fell swoop. The land of Hebei was newly determined, and most of the local heroes were afraid of the situation before they attached themselves to the imperial court, but they were not convinced. If Yuan Shang and others led Wuhuan to sweep over, the ministers were afraid that those wavering counties would turn their guns and become enemies of the imperial court. At that time, our years of hard work may be in vain.

Moreover, Liu Biaoxiang has no ambitions, and he is also suspicious of Liu Bei, for fear that Liu Bei will take over his land. Therefore, Liu Biao would never agree to Liu Bei's plan to attack Xudu, in case Liu Bei took the opportunity to expand his power, and it would be difficult for him to fall. The minister thought that the lord could rest assured that he would go on an expedition to Wuhuan and pacify the north in one fell swoop. At that time, we will send troops to the south, so that the world can be decided! ”

Cao Cao stroked his palms and laughed when he heard this, and said happily:

After listening to Fengxiao's analysis, Gu Da felt suddenly opened. What Feng Xiao said was very true, after returning to Yecheng, he took a short rest and immediately set off to march north! ”

Cao Cao obeyed Guo Jiana's words, Guo Jia deeply felt Cao Cao's kindness, and naturally he was also conscientious and knew everything.

"The minister has one more thing to say." Guo Jiafu said again.

"Fengxiao doesn't have to be polite, but it's okay to talk about it." Cao Cao responded.

I saw Guo Jia squinting his eyes, raising his finger to the south, and said in a deep voice:

"Although the lord has no time to take care of the south at the moment, he can't let the south be too stable. The minister suggested that the brave men from the Qingzhou army should continue to be sent to Jingzhou under the guise of the Yellow Turban Yu Party. Let it be widely dispersed among the people, disrupt the local situation, and prepare for the future southern expedition. ”

"It's still Feng Xiao who is thoughtful, and Lone will send someone to plan this matter." Cao Cao stroked his palms and smiled, "But those Qingzhou troops can't be said to be pretending to be the Yellow Turban Remnant Party, in fact, they are the Yellow Turban Remnant Party." If it weren't for their solitude, they would have been able to keep their faith. If it were someone else, these followers would have no choice but to die. Now send them to Jingzhou to preach the Taiping Dao, they will definitely rush to participate enthusiastically! ”

"Thank you for adopting the minister's strategy." Guo Jia bowed to Cao Cao again.

"It's a lot of courtesy." Cao Cao stroked his beard lightly and praised from the bottom of his heart, "Fengxiao is really a treasure given by God to loneliness!" With filial piety on the side, why worry about the injustice of the world! ”

At this time, Cao Cao's heart was full of joy, but what he could not predict was that this Guo Jia, whom he called "the treasure of heaven", would leave him forever in a few months. No one can resist the power of the disease, let alone the frail Guo Jia.