0p0 Chapter 446 Cao Cao takes a liking to Pang De, using the principle of "remaining unchanged amid
Chapter 446 Cao Cao takes a liking to Pang De, using the principle of "remaining unchanged amid
"Ziyi, how is Pound?"
Cao Cao asked Su Yu.
Su Yu hesitated for a moment, then answered truthfully:
"Pang De's abilities are among the best of all the generals in Liangzhou."
"Moreover, this person was once the chief clerk of Nan'an. Eight years ago, he was coerced by Ma Teng into rebelling and joining Ma Teng's army."
"After Ma Teng was exiled by Ma Chao, Pang De followed Ma Chao again."
Cao Cao nodded, a plan forming in his mind.
The Han dynasty's rule in Liangzhou collapsed after Dong Zhuo's death.
The various warlords in Liangzhou were fighting each other, and the level of chaos was comparable to that of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.
People like Pang De, who held official positions but could not obtain support from the Han court, had no choice but to join a warlord's faction in order to make a living in Liangzhou.
Therefore, strictly speaking, Pang De was not a direct subordinate of Ma Teng and Ma Chao at all.
There might be some loyalty to either of them, but it's definitely not much.
Moreover, Pound's style of doing things was very different from that of Ma Chao's group.
This meant that Pang De was unlikely to be happy under Ma Chao's command.
Perhaps this is why, in the original history, Pang De was not considered loyal to Ma Chao, but extremely loyal to Cao Cao, and even fought to the death with his coffin in hand.
He was originally an official of the Han Dynasty, but he had no choice but to join the rebels because of the prevailing circumstances.
After many years, he finally returned to the Han court and served under Prime Minister Cao, who represented the orthodoxy of the Han dynasty.
Furthermore, Cao Cao valued Pang De highly, which made Pang De think that a scholar would die for one who understands him.
The decision to fight to the death while carrying a coffin was primarily an act of gratitude to Cao Cao for recognizing and appreciating his talent.
This alone proves that Pang De was a man of great loyalty and righteousness, unlike a beast like Ma Chao.
"Ziyi, I, Cao, would like to persuade Pang De to surrender. Are you confident in doing so?"
Cao Cao's interest in talent was awakened.
Talented people are always a good thing; there's never too much of one.
Su Yu shook his head and said:
"It will be difficult to recruit Pound for the time being."
“A person of principle like him would not choose to betray his Lord directly.”
"Unless we defeat Ma Chao and capture Pang De."
Upon hearing this, Cao Cao's eyes gleamed even brighter.
Humans are just like that, so base.
Boss Cao was no exception.
If Pang De were to surrender now, Cao Cao might lower his opinion of him slightly.
However, if Pound had refused to betray his lord and surrendered only after being defeated, his evaluation level might have been raised even further!
For details, please see "The Story of Guan Yu".
……
Lantian City
Han Sui, Ma Chao, Lü Bu, Chen Gong, and others gathered here to discuss strategies for defeating Cao Cao.
Cao Cao personally led a large army to attack, which put great psychological pressure on the Guanzhong coalition.
Seeing that everyone was silent, Chen Gong broke the silence first:
"Gentlemen, we are facing opponents like Cao Mengde and Su Ziyi."
"Our best strategy is to remain unchanged in the face of all changes."
Before he could finish speaking, Ma Chao sneered:
"Hey Chen Gongtai, are you scared of Cao Cao?"
"That's true. What respectable person would travel all the way from Yanzhou to Liangzhou?"
"boom!"
Lu Bu slammed his fist on the table, sending wood chips flying, and Ma Chao fell silent.
Chen Gong laughed:
"General Ma is right."
"Chen was simply terrified of Cao Cao."
"Because Chen originally thought that to deal with enemies like Cao Cao and Su Yu, one must outwit them with strategy."
"But now Chen believes that as long as we ensure that there are no problems within our army, Cao Cao and Su Yu will have no opportunity to take advantage of us!"
A hint of sympathy flickered in Han Sui's eyes.
Damn, they're really scared of being beaten!
If they weren't terrified of being beaten, how could they so brazenly utter such cowardly words in public?
Lü Bu nodded, quite agreeing with Chen Gong's point of view.
The two of them have truly grown a lot.
Instead of racking your brains to devise a plan, it is better to hold your ground and wait for Cao Cao and Su Yu to make their move.
time is money.
Cao Cao's side also wanted to end the war as soon as possible.
Continuing this stalemate is bad for both sides.
Therefore, as long as there are no internal problems, the advantage will still lie with the Kansai Allied Forces.
"Ha ha……"
Ma Chao got up and left.
He was hot-blooded and had some shrewdness, but not enough.
Having not been brutally beaten by Cao Cao's camp, Ma Chao naturally could not agree with the views of Lü Bu and Chen Gong.
"Please forgive him, Mengqi is just like that."
Han Sui looked apologetic and said to Lü Bu and Chen Gong.
It was as if he were Ma Chao's guardian.
In reality, it was just a deliberate attempt to sow discord.
"It's alright, this general wouldn't stoop to the level of a mere brat."
Lu Bu smiled slightly.
What he was really thinking was that even if he trained for another hundred years, Ma Chao would still be a grandson in his eyes!
……
The cunning and shrewd Han Sui decided to adopt Chen Gong's suggestion and remain steadfast in his position.
The main strategy is to "delay".
Cao Cao's camp, however, remained oblivious to this and began to reclaim the lost territories except for cities like Lantian.
Xiahou Yuan, like a ghost, recaptured several cities in just a few days.
They even made it seem as if they were about to send troops on a distant expedition to Liangzhou!
The Kansai Allied Forces did not suffer any major losses.
But as they watched helplessly as the cities they had gained were lost one after another, the various minor lords began to have grievances.
Sure enough, more than a dozen minor vassal states came to Han Sui together and put pressure on him.
Li Kan, one of the minor warlords of Liangzhou, spoke first:
"Alliance Leader, Xiahou Yuan's advance is extremely rapid."
"At this moment, Cao Cao is again leading his main force to guard Chang'an City."
"What if Xiahou Yuan disregards everything and leads his troops to attack Liangzhou? What should we do then?"
Before he finished speaking, Cheng Yin, Liang Xing, Zhang Heng, Yang Qiu and others nodded in unison.
Even though their respective territories are not very large, every little bit helps.
The less territory one has, the more one cherishes the territory they already possess.
Han Sui was so anxious that his head was throbbing.
Lü Bu and Chen Gong were unaware of the various minor warlords' "landlord-like" thoughts.
Most of them lack foresight and value their own little plot of land highly.
Now, even a small plot of land is under threat.
If we do nothing, these minor warlords will most likely go and contact Cao Cao's camp on their own!
As the leader of the alliance, Han Sui could not stand by and watch this happen.
Just then, Ma Chao walked in from outside.
"Uncle, why don't we ambush Xiahou Yuan?"
"My Liangzhou cavalry are brave and skilled in battle, especially the Qiang and Di men under my command, who are adept at throwing javelins."
"Killing Xiahou Yuan will serve as a deterrent to Cao Cao's army and will boost morale."
Han Sui thought about it again and realized that Ma Chao's words also made sense.
Ignoring Xiahou Yuan is not a good solution.
Think about this.
Han Sui arranged for several minor vassal lords to assist Ma Chao, and gathered 30,000 cavalrymen for him, along with some of Ma Chao's own troops, to ambush Xiahou Yuan on his inevitable route!
Although there were many horses in Liangzhou.
However, the 30,000 cavalrymen were also the main force of the allied forces.
If successful, eliminating Xiahou Yuan would benefit everyone.
If he fails, Ma Chao will surely be blamed by the other minor warlords.
This was also a trap set by Han Sui for Ma Chao.
In any case, Han Sui's troops were basically not sent out; those who went into battle were all "friendly forces."
……