"Hmm? Did Uncle Yang reveal something to you, Fengxiao?"

Wang Jing and Xun You were both shocked when they heard this. It was they who worked together to subdue Yang Hong, the chess piece, and then placed him back to Yuan Shu's side.

Unexpectedly, this time he made a great contribution and provided key information at a critical moment.

Guo Jia restrained his expression and said solemnly, "Yuan Shu is in Nanyang, with a large army and a group of important civil and military officials under him. They are not to be underestimated. In addition, Wancheng is located in the north of Jing and has a special location, so there are many people who want to win him over. The threshold of the General's Mansion is almost trampled by envoys from all sides. I even heard from Yang Hong that Chen Gong actually paid money to bribe Yuan Yao's three concubines in order to meet Yuan Shu. This is too abnormal."

Xun You only pondered for a moment, and immediately understood what this meant: "Fengxiao, do you think Cao Cao has already decided to join forces with Yuan Shu? And he has been hiding it from us?"

After listening to this, Wang Jing also felt that Cao Cao was worthy of being Cao Cao. He had clearly made his choice, but he still deceived Wang Jing in tactics and strategy, making him mistakenly believe that he did not want to attack Jingzhou. He was worthy of being the treacherous hero Cao Cao who once dominated the Three Kingdoms.

"No wonder you turned back halfway, Fengxiao. It turns out you saw through Cao Cao's strategy. But this doesn't explain why Chen Gong was willing to take the risk to kill you."

What Wang Jing was curious about was the reason why Chen Gong wanted to kill Guo Jia.

You know, Guo Jia is the military advisor under his command, how important is his identity?

It was impossible for Cao Cao to assassinate Guo Jia and risk angering him, and Chen Gong was also a top strategist and knew that doing so would do more harm than good.

Guo Jia said with a firm tone: "Because I was in Wancheng and saw the envoy sent by Liu Biao."

Xun You was shocked and asked in astonishment: "Wancheng is an important town in northern Jingzhou. The population and land of Nanyang are what Liu Biao must seize. It is related to the great cause of unifying Jingzhou. Liu Biao knew that sending envoys was meaningless. Yuan Shu would have to fight him, and it would be a fight to the death. There is no possibility of compromise between the two sides. Why did he do this?"

Guo Jia's eyes flashed, as if lightning was surging: "Because the envoy sent by Liu Biao was not going to see Yuan Shu at all."

"You're not here to meet Yuan Shu? Could it be..."

After being reminded by Guo Jia, Wang Jing and Xun You immediately thought of a possibility.

Guo Jia nodded: "Yes, Liu Biao's envoy wants to see Chen Gong."

Guo Jia then explained to Wang Jing, "Why did the two of them take the risk of meeting in Wancheng? It's simple, because Xu County is Cao Cao's base camp, and if they want to escape Cao Cao's surveillance, they can only leave Xu County and find a place where they can meet and discuss in detail without arousing suspicion. Going to Wancheng is the best cover."

Hearing this, Wang Jing finally understood why Chen Gong did this, and then he showed a look of surprise: "Cao Cao wanted to unite with Yuan Shu to attack Liu Biao, but he didn't know that Chen Gong had already secretly united with Liu Biao to attack him!"

This information is so shocking.

Even Wang Jing, who knew that Cao Cao would definitely turn against Chen Gong, was somewhat doubtful at this moment and could not help asking Guo Jia: "Feng Xiao, is the news accurate?"

"At first, Jia Yi was just suspicious, but to prevent any accidents, he decided to return early to bring back the information. In Kunyang, Chen Gong hastily planned to come and kill me, which made Jia Yi more certain of his guess. Chen Gong must be worried that I saw through his plan, so he was so desperate."

Xun You was thankful: "Fortunately, before you set off, Fengxiao, the lord specially dispatched the elite secret guards to accompany you in order to be on the safe side, and also asked Zijun to protect you in secret, otherwise the consequences of this trip would be unpredictable."

"Now the situation is clear..."

Based on the intelligence brought back by Guo Jia, Wang Jing easily analyzed the camps to which the heroes from Yuzhou and Jingzhou belonged, as well as their attitudes.

Guo Jia pointed to the northern part of Yuzhou on the map and said, "Under pressure, Liang Wang Liu Mi has secretly surrendered to our army. However, Chen Wang Liu Chong is on the same side as Tao Qian and will not surrender easily."

Guo Jia then pointed in the direction of Xuchang and said, "In Xu County, Cao Mengde is like a dragon swimming in shallow water, trapped in a corner, and unable to realize his ambitions. This man is ambitious and will definitely seek a strategic breakthrough to break the deadlock. In order to eliminate his worries, he can only rely on Yuan Shu and get the support of the Yuan family in Runan, so that he has a three-point chance of success."

In the original world situation, Tao Qian was dependent on Yuan Shu, Liu Chong had his own troops, and Cao Cao belonged to Yuan Shao's camp. Therefore, the two sides were constantly in conflict and hostile to each other.

Historically, Tao Qian sent Zhang Kai to escort Cao Song's family. This matter is also very suspicious, but Tao Qian probably did not want Zhang Kai to kill people. At most, he wanted to take Cao Song hostage.

However, Zhang Kai killed people and robbed people, which eventually led to the death of Cao Cao's father Cao Song and a group of family members and servants. This hatred was huge, and coupled with the fact that the two sides were already hostile to each other, Cao Cao launched a fierce attack on Xuzhou. After repeated failures, he launched a massacre in anger as a revenge.

But now Wang Jing has occupied Yanzhou, dominated the Central Plains, and directly blocked Yuan Shao's way south.

Not to mention the civil war in Jizhou now. Yuan Shao has not succeeded in attacking Yecheng and is completely unable to fight southwards.

Therefore, the alliance between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao had lost its meaning, which was one of the important reasons why Cao Cao had to switch to Yuan Shu's camp.

What’s interesting is that Tao Qian, who was originally an ally of Yuan Shu, began to have different ideas about Yuan Shu because he was no longer threatened by Yuan Shao, and he seemed to be ready to set up a new camp and dominate Xuzhou.

Although this could not be considered a rebellion, the relationship between the two sides was obviously different from before. For this reason, Tao Qian gradually became close to Liu Chong. After all, both of them were conservatives, so it was normal for them to stick together for warmth and take care of each other.

Xun You saw this clearly and couldn't help but sigh: "Our army is strong and has shown the signs of being a hegemon. Jing, Xu, and Yu are all large states with prosperous populations and rich cultures, but they cannot work together to fight against the strong enemy. Sooner or later, they will be defeated one by one by our army."

Wang Jing turned his gaze to Guo Jia and asked, "If Meng De and Chen Gongtai really started a quarrel, who do you think would win in the end?"

Guo Jia thought for a moment and said firmly, "If there is no defense, Cao Cao will surely be defeated."

"Oh, why is that?"

"Chen Gong comes from an aristocratic family, a famous family in Dongjun, and has Liu Biao's support behind him. He has mobilized the power of Jingzhou to attack. Cao Cao only has the power of one county. Even if he has gathered many powerful generals around him, he may find it difficult to resist. The most critical issue is not the ability and wisdom of Chen Gong and Cao Cao, but the power behind them."

In Guo Jia's view, aristocratic families and powerful clans are the most decisive forces in this chaos.

In history, Cao Cao was stabbed in the back by Chen Gong and Zhang Miao, and the killing of Bian Rang was the fuse, but the real reason was that some of Cao Cao's policies were beneficial to his rule but not in the interests of the aristocratic families.

Behind Liu Biao, he had the strong support of a large number of local noble families and wealthy families in Jingzhou.

This means that Liu Biao and Chen Gong represent the aristocratic forces in Yuzhou and Jingzhou, while Cao Cao is alone and weak.

Under such circumstances, failure is almost inevitable.

Wang Jing smiled and looked at Guo Jia: "Is Fengxiao so sure that Meng De will be defeated?"

Guo Jia also smiled and looked at Wang Jing meaningfully: "If you don't take action, Cao Cao will definitely lose."

"What if I take action?"

"Then whoever the lord wants to win will win the game."

Guo Jia chuckled and flattered Wang Jing a little, but what he said was the truth. After all, Wang Jing was now the most powerful prince of the empire, holding the emperor in his hands and enjoying the righteousness of the court. Although he could not decide life and death over other heroes, his influence was still great.

Wang Jing closed his eyes and thought for a while, weighing the pros and cons in his mind. Should he help Cao Cao or Chen Gong, he naturally considered which one would be more beneficial to him.

Today in Yanzhou, there are still many internal "chronic diseases" that need to be eradicated one by one. Before dealing with conservative aristocratic families such as Xu Si, it is not appropriate to use military force against foreign countries.

Previously, Tao Qian sent Sun Guan to stir up trouble, and Xu Si also made small moves in private, but Wang Jing did not choose to take action, let alone send a large number of troops to attack southern Henan.

Not to mention that Prince of Chen Liu Chong had an army of 100,000, the geographical advantages of the two super-strong cities of Xiangyang and Fancheng alone were enough to make people very wary. Wang Jing absolutely did not want such a strategic location to continue to be controlled by Liu Biao.

In the Preface to the Geographical Records of Huguang and Dushi, Gu Zuyu, a scholar of the Ming Dynasty, systematically discussed the topography of Hubei in combination with historical events, and pointed out that "Xiangyang is the backbone of the country. If the Central Plains has it, they can conquer the southeast. If the southeast has it, they can also plan for the northwest. Therefore, Xiangyang is the key."

The so-called waist and back refer to the human waist and back.

Xiangyang is the waist and back of the world. It is located at the core position of the Nanyang Basin and the narrow passage of the Jianghan Plain. It is an important transit station for north-south land transportation in the Central Plains, and a key node for water transportation connecting the Central Plains and the Yangtze River.

"The Art of War" by Sun Tzu states: Xiangyang "connects to Ruyang and Luoyang in the north, Qin and Shu in the west, Huguang in the south, and Wu and Yue in the east." From this we can see how critical the geographical location of Xiangfan is. Whoever occupies this place is equivalent to grasping the strategic core of the south.

Therefore, in the history of the Three Kingdoms, the Eastern Wu always held on to Jingzhou. In addition to the fact that Sun Quan himself was too short-sighted in strategy, the geographical location of Xiangfan was indeed too important.

After weighing the pros and cons in his mind, Wang Jing also made a decision, and he told Xun You and Guo Jia about his strategy: "When I went north to Jinyang and took a detour to Youzhou, I saw a lone wolf on the grassland that was driven out of the wolf pack. The more injured it was, the more ferocious it became, because it had no way out, so it understood its situation and had to fight hard to have a chance of survival."

As soon as these words were spoken, Xun You and Guo Jia both took a deep breath, simply because they both heard the cruelty and ruthlessness hidden in Wang Jing's words, which really made people's backs cold.

Guo Jia looked serious and asked Wang Jing, "My Lord, do you mean that Cao Cao can be defeated but not destroyed?"

Wang Jing nodded, his eyes were even sharper, emitting a frightening cold light: "That's right, instead of helping him defend the Xu County base camp, it is better to let him become a homeless lone wolf."

A wounded lone wolf will fight to the death to survive.

Having lost his old nest in Xu County, Cao Cao had no choice but to obey Wang Jing and become a knife in Wang Jing's hand, slashing fiercely towards the south.

Although Wang Jing also admired Cao Cao's abilities, and they even had a friendship when they were in Luoyang, however, kindness does not command the army, and righteousness does not command wealth. How can one take personal feelings into consideration when fighting for supremacy in the world?
So Wang Jing finally chose to sit back and watch Cao Cao fail, letting him be betrayed by Chen Gong, having his home stolen by Liu Biao, and becoming a lone wolf expelled from his territory.

Wang Jing looked at Xuchang marked with the words "Xu County" on the sand table and sighed softly: "I will bear the infamy and make Meng De suffer a little more."

…………

Xu County, the residence of General Fenwu.

"Gongtai, you are finally back."

"Greetings, my lord."

"Please stand up quickly. Didn't I tell you that there's no need for such formalities between us?"

Cao Cao prepared a banquet and welcomed Chen Gong with a cheerful face, as if he had completely forgotten that he had been eager to kill Chen Gong.

As soon as they met, Cao Cao walked up to Chen Gong and held his hand, smiling sincerely, showing an attitude of being excited about Chen Gong's return.

The two of them tacitly did not mention the assassination of Guo Jia in Kunyang. After Chen Gong sat down, he bowed and reported to Cao Cao: "Thanks to the great fortune of my lord, this trip to Wancheng was very fruitful. We successfully signed a secret agreement with Yuan Gonglu."

"Oh? That's great!"

Cao Cao laughed out loud. He was quite happy about the news.

You have to know that he is living a very difficult life right now.

Xu County is a tiny place, and the grain production is not enough to support many soldiers, so Cao Cao's life is very tight now.

Originally, when he followed Yuan Shao, he could use his reputation as the leader of the Guandong princes to get some supplies from the nearby aristocratic families.

But now Yuan Shao can’t take care of himself, and his strength is not as strong as the Yellow River. Who the hell will give him face in Yuzhou?

Therefore, Cao Cao’s military supplies had actually been cut off for several months, and even Xiahou Dun had to go out and dig wild vegetables to feed his family.

If we don’t find a new “investor”, let alone future ambitions, we won’t be able to overcome the current difficulties and bankruptcy is imminent.

And it was precisely for this reason that Cao Cao shamelessly sent Chen Gong to Yuan Shu as an envoy, bringing the antiques that he had stolen with great difficulty, to present gifts and to make friends with him, in order to see if he could get some money from the Yuan family of Runan to help support his family.

After all, although antiques are nice, they can’t be eaten.

And Chen Gong did not disappoint Cao Cao. Not only did he return with the secret agreement signed with Yuan Shu, he also brought a batch of food and weapons, which solved Cao Cao's urgent problem.

Chen Gong handed the original copy of the secret agreement to Cao Cao and said with a serious expression: "My lord, according to the content of the secret agreement, Yuan Shu asked our army to cooperate with him to attack Fancheng, so as to thwart Liu Biao's ambition for Nanyang. If there is an opportunity, we can also go south to Jingzhou and occupy the counties."

Cao Cao frowned upon hearing this, and then took the secret agreement, read the contents in detail, and sighed, "Fancheng is not easy to attack, but there is still a chance."

Xiangyang and Fancheng are integrated. They enjoy the geographical advantages of rivers and have formed an extremely solid natural defense line. They have been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times.

Throughout history, the great wars that took place here often dominated the changes in the entire world.

During the Three Kingdoms period, Guan Yu's Northern Expedition started here. The story of him flooding seven armies and capturing Yu Jin alive has been passed down for thousands of years, leaving behind countless legends. It was also a turning point in the relationship between the Eastern Wu regime and the Shu Han regime.

Two hundred years later, the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Former Qin Dynasty also fought a decisive battle here to decide who would rule the country.

In addition, there are the War between Song and Jin and the Battle of Xiangyang between Song and Yuan, which have profoundly influenced the rise and fall of China's national destiny and left one tragic poem after another in the history books.

Xiangyang and Fancheng are so important that whoever occupies them will have the advantage of geographical location and will be able to take advantage of the situation and calmly deal with any attack from the enemy.

As the defending party, as long as Liu Biao does not make any serious mistakes, Xiangfan will be an impenetrable iron wall.

In the history of the Three Kingdoms, Sun Jian died because of attacking Fancheng.

And now, it's Cao Cao's turn.

Cao Cao took a map of Jingzhou and looked at it over and over for a long time, but he could not find the weakness of the Xiangfan defense line. So he looked worried and asked Chen Gong: "Gongtai, do you have any strategy for the attack on Xiangfan?"

Chen Gong sighed, "Although Liu Jingsheng has been in power in Xiangyang for a short time, he has won the support of the noble families in Jingzhou with his virtue. Now he controls thousands of miles of land, has over 100,000 soldiers, and has deployed heavy troops in Xiangfan. How easy is it to plot against him?"

While saying this, Chen Gong was also observing the changes in Cao Cao's expression.

Especially on the four words "conquer people with virtue", Chen Gong placed great emphasis on them.

Obviously, he was secretly reminding Cao Cao to learn from Liu Biao how he won people over with virtue, and not to just think about being tyrannical and using military strategies all day long.

In Chen Gong's view, only by following the kingly way and relying on "virtuous men" like him who came from aristocratic families and powerful clans could he get the help of the aristocratic families and powerful clans in Yuzhou, and then attack Yuan Shu in the west, annex Liu Chong in the east, and then join forces with Tao Qian and Liu Biao, gather the power of the entire south, and gather half of the world's territory. Why would he worry about not being able to go north to compete with Wang Jing?
It’s a pity that Cao Cao was a man with strong opinions. He would never be willing to be just a puppet of the Jingzhou family like Liu Biao.

Therefore, Cao Cao was indifferent to the hidden meaning in Chen Gong's words, and replied coldly: "I believe that there is no fortress in the world that is impregnable. Liu Jingsheng has been in power in Jingzhou for only a year. No matter how popular he is, there must be people inside who are unwilling to obey him. Gongtai, can you help me find the accomplice?"

Cao Cao looked to Chen Gong for help. He still hoped to use Chen Gong's halo as a celebrity and the network of connections behind him to seek out the rebellious forces within Jingzhou.

After all, the hope of success in directly attacking Xiangfan is too slim.

Chen Gong sighed, knowing that Cao Cao had already realized his mistake, so he did not persuade him any more, but nodded and accepted the task: "I'll try my best."

"Then I'll trouble you, Gongtai."

The two of them are competing with each other in acting skills, and it depends on who will be the one to screw over in the end.

After the banquet, Chen Gong left General Fenwu's mansion. Although his facial expression remained calm, a cold light had already emerged in the depths of his eyes.

After failing to persuade Cao Cao, Chen Gong finally made up his mind. (End of this chapter)