0p0 Chapter 184 Cao Cao's Reputation
Chapter 184 Cao Cao's Reputation
Chapter 184 Cao Cao's Reputation
It was not until noon the next day that Guo Jia sobered up.
Cao Cao was sitting not far from him. He quickly reached out and poured him a glass of water, and asked with concern: "Fengxiao, are you awake?"
Guo Jia patted his head, exhaled lightly, and said, "The wine in Qingzhou is much stronger than that in Yanzhou."
As he said this, he subconsciously reached out to touch the wine jug.
Cao Cao snatched it away and said, "Fengxiao, Gong Du and He Yi sent someone to say they are willing to surrender."
Guo Jia looked at the wine pot, smacked his lips, and felt dry mouth and discomfort. He sighed and said, "They can either abandon the city and flee, or surrender. How can they easily abandon the foundation of hundreds of thousands of people? Surrender is actually the only way out."
Cao Cao looked stern and asked, "What should I do after they surrender?"
Gong Du and He Yi together have more than 300,000 people who need to feed every day, and Cao Cao simply does not have that much food.
Guo Jia's eyes were on the wine pot, and he said helplessly: "General, don't you have a solution?"
Cao Cao's stern expression suddenly disappeared, and he laughed loudly: "Those who know me well are filial piety!"
Smiling, he handed the wine jug to Guo Jia, then slowly faded his smile and said, "I am worried about Your Majesty."
When Cao Cao was in Beijing, he was rarely scolded by Liu Bian. Logically, he should have been promoted to a higher position during this expedition, but he was still the General of Wuwei, which showed that his favor with the emperor was damaged!
Guo Jia drank a sip of wine, and he felt refreshed and his mind became sharper. He smiled calmly and said, "Although I have never met that emperor, I have drawn a conclusion from his series of actions."
"What conclusion?" Cao Cao suddenly sat up straighter.
Guo Jia took another sip of wine and said, "Our Majesty doesn't really care about the way you do things or who you offend. He cares about the result - the result he wants."
Cao Cao narrowed his narrow eyes, his expression seemed to be moved.
He thought about how all his bad deeds and failures had not brought any consequences. Instead, he had a few arguments with Wang Yun in the Secretariat and was scolded.
Cao Cao thought for a moment and said solemnly, "Okay! Then I will pacify the Yellow Turban Army in Qingzhou in the shortest possible time!"
With the surrender of Gong Du and He Yi, Cao Cao's army can be expanded to 100,000 people. 100,000 people are enough for Cao Cao to sweep across Qingzhou!
Guo Jia drank his wine and looked outside the door, already thinking about the situation outside Qingzhou.
After Cao Cao and Guo Jia had the plan in hand, they began to make arrangements.
But in Chang'an County, people were extremely anxious.
They couldn't surrender directly, so they needed to negotiate with Cao Cao and get the best terms.
However, after sending someone in the morning, there was still no reply by noon, and even the messenger had not returned. This made Gong Du and He Yi like ants on the hot pan, unable to sit still.
If Cao Cao refuses to accept their surrender, he will just wait for them to cause internal strife so that he can use their heads as compensation for his military merits!
Killing thousands, even tens of thousands, and capturing hundreds of thousands, this achievement is simply unimaginable!
Gong Du frowned and asked, "What do you think we should do?"
He Yi had a gloomy expression, his eyes flickered, and his mind kept changing, but at this point, what else could he do?
He really wanted to abandon those people and run away, but Beihai Kingdom and Donglai County were so small, where could they escape to?
"Send more people!" He Yi gritted his teeth and said, "Tell Cao Cao that as long as he gives us food, we will obey him!"
Gong Du stared at him for a while and said, "Okay!"
He had no other choice. He still had one meal tonight and half a meal tomorrow morning. If they still had no food by tomorrow noon, Chang'an County would be in an uproar!
In Chang'an City, the news that their money and grain had been robbed had already spread, but He Yi and Gong Du, with their many years of prestige, used deception and coaxing to suppress the news for the time being.
Some high-level officials surrounded Gong Du and He Yi. They knew the inside story and were waiting anxiously.
Time passed little by little, until evening, their messenger still hadn't returned, and Cao Cao hadn't replied, which made Gong Du and He Yi feel cold in their hearts.
Cao Cao ignored their surrender, most likely because he wanted their heads and military merit!
The merit of surrendering is far less important than the number of heads killed in the battle!
"What should we do?" Gong Du asked He Yi with a slightly pale face.
He had already made up his mind. If there was no news by nightfall, he would pack up his valuables and quietly run away.
Although he would surely become infamous and have no place to stand in the world after running away, it is still better than giving his head to Cao Cao.
He Yi had a sinister look on his face and gritted his teeth. He had no chance to fight to the death now, as his life and death were completely in Cao Cao's hands.
He is not like Gong Du. He is ambitious and that is why he is unwilling to run away.
"I'm going to Cao's camp!" He Yi suddenly said loudly.
Gong Du was shocked and immediately hesitated.
If He Yi went to Cao's camp, he would be in danger of not being able to return and die there. But if he offered any conditions and Cao Cao accepted the surrender, Gong Du would be in trouble if he was not present.
On one side there are benefits and on the other side there is life and death, Gong Du began to struggle in his heart.
He Yi ignored him and those who had recruited him were whispering about their backup plans.
After a long while, Gong Du suddenly stood up and said, "I'll go with you!"
He Yi glanced back at him. He originally wanted Gong Du to stay to increase his bargaining chips with Cao Cao, but he changed his mind and said, "Okay."
The two men gathered their trusted confidants and made careful arrangements just in case.
It didn't take long before the two men, accompanied by several guards, rode their horses straight to Cao's camp.
Compared to Gong Du and He Yi's anxiety and impatience, Cao Ying was much more calm.
Cao Cao was playing chess with Guo Jia at this moment, talking about all kinds of things.
Cao Cao held the chess piece in his hand, stared at the chessboard, and said, "Envoy Zhu wrote me a letter, saying that I can temporarily appoint the county magistrates of Donglai County and Beihai State, and he will sign the documents later. But the power to appoint county governors lies with the Secretariat, so we still need to wait for the Secretariat to reply."
Guo Jia held a wine pot in one hand and a chess piece in the other, and asked, "General, have you made your decision?"
Cao Cao's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he said, "Fengxian is right. Those who accomplish great things do not care about trivial matters. If we can quell the banditry in Qingzhou, no matter how serious the crime is, Cao Cao will bear it!"
Guo Jia nodded and said, "The court should be able to allocate a portion, and Envoy Zhu will also give a portion. Together with Beihai State and Donglai County, it will be enough to last for half a year. By the time of the autumn harvest, everything can be settled."
Cao Cao remained calm, raised his eyelids and glanced at Guo Jia, and said, "There are at least a million Yellow Turban troops everywhere. What countermeasures does Feng Xiao have?"
Guo Jia made a move lightly, then took a sip of wine and said, "General, you have already made a plan, why ask me?"
Cao Cao immediately laughed and said, "If you don't speak of your filial piety, I will feel uneasy."
Guo Jia shook his head and said, "General, you have great strategies and courage. The reason you have encountered many setbacks is not because of your lack of ability, but because of opportunities. Now that the latent dragon has emerged from the abyss, the general trend has been established, so there is no need for you to be modest."
Listening to Guo Jia's words, Cao Cao was filled with pride and confidence. He put down the chess piece and said in a deep voice: "I will enter Chang'an tomorrow morning!"
Guo Jia threw down the chess piece and said with a smile, "It's almost done."
Cao Cao thought about the situation in Beihai State and Donglai County, his narrow eyes flashed with brilliance, and he said: "Take them, train 50,000 troops, sweep across Beihai State, and then from Luxiang to Huangxian, Muping, Dongmu, within half a year, put an end to the banditry in Qingzhou!"
"Hurry up!" Guo Jia added.
Now is the autumn harvest season. If we move fast enough, we can not only catch the enemy by surprise, but also obtain the much-needed money and food.
Cao Cao nodded and said, "I intend to keep Miaocai to cultivate the land, but he is straightforward and reckless, I am afraid he will not be at peace."
Guo Jia drank his wine and said, "I heard that Kong Rong is in Jinan and should be able to come back soon."
Cao Cao's eyes moved, and he smiled and said, "Feng Xiao is wise and thoughtful. Okay, I will write a letter to Envoy Zhu now!"
"Mengde!"
Before Cao Cao finished speaking, Xiahou Yuan walked in quickly and said, "Gong Du and He Yi are here, saying they are here to negotiate peace."
Cao Cao and Guo Jia looked at each other and smiled.
The so-called "peace talks" are just nice words.
Cao Cao stood up and said loudly, "Order wine and food. I will not leave until we are drunk."
Xiahou Yuan responded, "I'll go right away."
Guo Jia watched Cao Cao and Xiahou Yuan's backs, then looked at the chessboard, picked up the chess piece, and placed it on a position, muttering to himself, "Next, will it be Xuzhou or Jizhou?"
Guo Jia looked at the chess board and frowned slightly.
He could predict many things, but he could never make a correct judgment about the emperor in the palace.
If Cao Cao pacified Qingzhou, would he then go south to deal with Dong Zhuo and Yuan Shu, or go north to Jizhou to conquer the Black Mountain Army?
Cao Cao personally led Gong Du and He Yi into the big tent. He smiled constantly and talked about the customs and habits of Beihai Kingdom, but never mentioned the matter of "peace talks".
Gong Du and He Yi had dealt with Cao Cao before, but that was many years ago. They were all small minions. Of course, Cao Cao was still doing odd jobs for Huangfu Song.
It is a kind of "dealing" where the two parties have never met each other and do not know each other.
Gong Du and He Yi were forced to drink by Cao Cao, but they just stayed there awkwardly. They tried to speak several times but were blocked every time.
They drank a lot and tried their best to stay sober. Seeing Cao Cao talking incessantly, quoting from classics, smiling stiffly, they looked at each other quietly.
Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, and Cao Ren stood aside, each with different expressions and eyes full of surprise.
They had been with Cao Cao for more than ten or twenty years, but this was the first time they knew that Cao Cao was so eloquent.
I don't know how long it was, but it was already dark, Gong Du felt a little dizzy and couldn't drink any more, so he raised his hand and said, "General Cao, I have admired you for a long time, and I am loyal to the court. I came to see you this time because I want to share your worries and contribute to the court. Please accept me."
He Yi frowned. As soon as Gong Du opened his mouth, the initiative fell into Cao Cao's hands.
Just as he was about to open his mouth to make amends, Cao Cao laughed loudly and said, "I know what Brother Gong is thinking. I want Brother Gong to be my military commander and Brother He to be my chief clerk. What do you think?"
The official position of Military Sima is above the county magistrate and below the prefect, and the number of troops he leads depends entirely on the intention of the commander-in-chief.
The 'Zhu Bu', on the other hand, is more of a 'private' position, in charge of official documents and correspondence, and only the emperor's close confidants can be appointed to the position.
Gong Du knew that this was the highest official position Cao Cao could give him, and he looked at He Yi with a hesitant look.
He Yi did not expect Cao Cao to offer such a great temptation. He resisted the temptation of alcohol and said, "General Cao, can you guarantee that we will have no worries in the future?"
Cao Cao stroked his beard, looking drunk, and said, "Don't worry, I am in need of talents right now. You two are both talented, so why would I ignore you? If you two are truly loyal, I am willing to write a letter as proof. I will not hold you accountable for your past and will only praise your achievements!"
Upon hearing this, Gong Du hurriedly said, "We still have more than 300,000 people. I wonder if General Cao is willing to accept them?"
After all, Gong Du was still worried that Cao Cao cared more about "human heads".
Cao Cao drank another sip of wine, laughed, and said, "Cao Ren, transport 200,000 dan of grain and send it to Chang'an County immediately!"
"Yes, sir!" Cao Ren raised his hand, turned around and strode out.
He Yi stared at Cao Cao, feeling that something was wrong. He was about to open his mouth, but Cao Cao suddenly stood up and said, "I'm going to the toilet. Please wait a moment."
He Yi closed his mouth and glanced at the brothers Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Dun with a gloomy face, feeling uneasy.
Cao Cao's behavior was too abnormal.
When Cao Cao left the tent, he saw Cao Ren, Gong Du, and He Yi's personal soldiers talking. Seeing that their leader had reached an agreement with Cao Cao and that he would send 200,000 rations to Chang'an, the personal soldiers were overjoyed and raised their hands to Cao Cao, saying, "Thank you, General."