The Three Kingdoms: Starting as a county magistrate in Pingyuan, he rose to power and conquered the

Chapter 117 Mixed Feelings

Yanzhou.

For Cao Cao recently, things haven't been easy.

Although his confrontation with Yuan Shao ended in victory, his reputation soared.

However, many people in the imperial court actually supported Yuan Shao.

They could not accept this outcome at all.

more importantly.

Everything Li Zhao is doing now is exactly the effect these people theoretically want to achieve.

He sheltered refugees and ensured that the people under his rule could live and work in peace. As long as they came under his command, they would definitely have food to eat.

What a great situation this is!

Such a good result should have been enjoyed by the imperial court, and they should have also contributed to it!

then.

More and more people began to petition the emperor, hoping that Cao Cao would do the same.

They also put forward a theory that was irrefutable.

Li Zhao had no background whatsoever, yet he managed to accomplish all of this on his own.

Why couldn't Cao Cao do it?

If he is unable to complete the task, should the position of Sikong be given to someone else?

Shouldn't the emperor and the court be entrusted with the responsibility by someone like Li Zhao?

This statement put immense pressure on Cao Cao, who, of course, didn't care about personal honor or disgrace.

But the problem is...

If such remarks are not stopped, they could very well destabilize the situation.

For him now, nothing is more important than stability.

When Xun Yu entered the main hall of the Sikong Mansion, he could immediately feel the pressure that was about to materialize.

Cao Cao sat in the main seat, gently rubbing his fingers, his face looking quite grim.

Guo Jia, who was standing not far away, also had his head down, seemingly lost in thought.

"My lord..." Xun Yu stepped forward, carefully breaking the silence.

"News has arrived from the north!"

Cao Cao and Guo Jia both turned their heads and glanced at him.

"Tell me about it..." Cao Cao's expression remained unchanged.

Xun Yu took a deep breath and explained in detail the information he had received.

This includes Yuan Shao's various strategies, the reactions of Ye City and Qingzhou, and so on.

Cao Cao and Guo Jia didn't react much when they heard this, as if they already knew.

"Wenruo, my lord and I are discussing this matter..." Guo Jia turned to look at him and said.

"Yuan Shao's foolish actions will inevitably exacerbate the turmoil in Bing Province. If Li Zhao joins forces with Gongsun Zan, Bing Province will likely change hands within three months."

"If that time really comes, Yuan Shao will be eliminated, Li Zhaozhu will control the three provinces of Qing, Ji and Bing, and with Gongsun Zan in You Province, the entire north will be under their control."

"This is not good news..."

Actually.

This was also what Xun Yu was most worried about, and he could certainly see the current situation clearly.

For them, protecting Yuan Shao has now become the priority.

Otherwise, if Li Zhao succeeds, the crisis they face will still exist.

It's just a different person!

"Wenruo, I would like to hear your opinion..." Cao Cao looked up at him.

Guo Jia gave him a look, indicating that he didn't need to worry.

Xun Yu, sensing something amiss, immediately cupped his hands and said, "In my opinion, we must now find a way to help Yuan Shao escape this predicament and prevent Li Zhao from succeeding!"

"The best approach is to maintain the current situation in the North."

"But Yuan Shao definitely won't listen to what we say. If we want to resolve this matter, we'll probably have to use their people."

Upon hearing this, Guo Jia spoke up, "My lord, Tian Feng and Xu You have both been brought back and are being taken very good care of. They are ready to be put to use at any time."

Cao Cao rubbed his hands together faster and faster; he knew Yuan Shao very well.

The priority right now is not to deliver the right approach to Yuan Shao.

Instead, we need to let this guy realize it on his own; otherwise, no matter how many methods we use, it won't work.

"Bring those two here, and I'll talk to them alone..." Cao Cao sighed.

……

Qingzhou.

When Li Zhao led Lü Bu in a surprise attack on Ye City, he entrusted the city to Liu Bei and others for joint management.

Xu Shu, Chen Gong, and others often had different opinions and ideas.

However, due to the environment created by Li Zhao, they will not be implicated personally.

On the contrary, they have a very good relationship in private.

at this time.

Chen Gong walked slowly in from outside, holding a letter. Liu Bei and Xu Shu, who were handling official business, stopped when they saw him.

"What's wrong with Gongtai?" Xu Shuwu asked first.

"Has the lord sent word?"

Liu Bei also cast an interested glance, awaiting his reply.

"It's unbelievable..." Chen Gong sighed with great emotion.

Then, amidst their puzzled gazes, he handed them the letter.

After they finished reading the contents, they couldn't help but smile at each other.

This letter was written by Lü Bu, who specifically sought Chen Gong's advice. The tone of the letter was very sincere, and his understanding of many things was quite unique.

If it weren't for Chen Gong's thorough understanding of Lü Bu's handwriting, he might have even thought it was written by someone else.

"It's truly remarkable..." Xu Shu laughed heartily, "General Lü has grown to this level in such a short time."

"Gongtai, he's treating you with great respect now!"

Chen Gong smiled. "My lord's abilities are truly astounding!"

"However, on the other hand, Zhang Yang, being from Fengxian's hometown, is indeed a valuable resource, but I haven't figured out exactly how to do it yet!"

"What are your thoughts?"

In this letter, Lü Bu detailed Zhang Yang's current situation and the attitude he displayed when contacting him.

Simply put, they wanted to use this condition to help Li Zhao take over Bingzhou.

But Lu Bu couldn't figure out exactly what to do, so he came specifically to ask him for advice.

He wanted to take this opportunity to show off in front of Li Zhao.

Liu Bei thought for a moment and spoke first, "If this person truly wants to help, there's no need to overthink it. With him as an inside man, a surprise attack on Jinyang County won't be too difficult."

Xu Shu shook his head, "That's not true..."

"If it was merely about seizing territory, our lord could have simply killed Yuan Shao back then. There was no need to make such a big fuss and drive him out!"

"Facts have proven that our lord's choice was absolutely correct, and Yuan Shao was unable to use this incident to launch an attack."

"In my opinion, the most important thing is to act with a legitimate reason!"

"Furthermore, have you two considered this question: what would Cao Cao... do?"

When Cao Cao was mentioned, both of them fell silent.

Those present were all intelligent people, and naturally understood the meaning behind his words.

Now that their influence is growing, Cao Cao naturally sees them as a threat.

Yuan Shao... on the contrary, will become the one he helps!

After a moment of silence, Chen Gong's eyes suddenly lit up. "I understand..."

"The best way to utilize Zhang Yang is to get him close to Yuan Shao so we can obtain firsthand intelligence!"

Liu Bei and Xu Shu exchanged a smile and nodded slightly...

……