Chapter 322 Yuan and Cao join forces, Black Mountain Army is in trouble
beginning of winter.

The autumn harvest is over.

The situation in Jizhou is on the verge of breaking out.

Yuan Shao was a local rat. He dug a tunnel and finally found his way under the wall of Yijing.

The fire soon destroyed the city wall, and Yuan's army rushed into the city.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Gongsun Zan killed his entire family and then burned himself to death.

Yuan Shao obtained three million hu of grain in Yijing, greatly increasing his strength.

At this time, Cao Cao led his troops to raid Jizhou from east to west, and Zhang Yan of the Black Mountain Army raided from west to east, catching Yuan Shao off guard.

Soon, Zhang Yan occupied Changshan State and Zhao State, and Cao Cao occupied Anping State, Qinghe State and Julu County.

Wei County, located at the southernmost part of Jizhou, became an isolated place, and it was only a matter of time before it was swallowed up.

Yuan Shao's sphere of influence was limited to Zhongshan State and Hejian County.

The bad news doesn’t end there.

Five thousand troops of the Southern Army came from the sea and landed in Youbeiping County of Youzhou. Within ten days, they received responses from all counties of Youzhou.

Yuan Shao's troops, who had originally occupied various places, were defeated one after another, cutting off Yuan Shao's way to the north.

Yuan Shao was extremely angry and the first person he targeted was the traitor Cao Cao.

They launched a fierce attack on Zhangwu County in Bohai Commandery, which happened to be the main route for Cao Cao to obtain food and fodder from the sea.

Cao Ren led 5,000 troops and withstood the fierce attack of Yuan Shao's 30,000-man army for ten days, and finally waited for Cao Cao to return for reinforcement.

The two sides deployed their battle formations on the plain, and a steady stream of troops gathered from behind Yuan Shao.

Behind Cao Cao were 10,000 core members and 20,000 newly recruited soldiers.

Although the two sides seemed evenly matched, Cao Cao was actually at a disadvantage.

November 8th.

Cao Cao set out wine and drinks in front of the battle line and invited Yuan Shao to have a chat.

Yuan Shao ignored everyone's dissuasion and went to the appointment alone.

"Brother Benchu, long time no see."

Cao Cao, wearing a red robe and Confucian armor, lay comfortably on the carpet, holding a wine jug and pouring wine, and extended his right hand to invite Yuan Shao to sit down and chat.

"Humph!" Yuan Shao, wearing black armor, did not dismount, holding a whip in his hand, and questioned: "Cao Aman! You disregarded the alliance and attacked my city. What exactly do you want to do?"

"Brother Benchu." Cao Cao laughed and said, "I am just borrowing your land for a while, don't be so stingy."

"Temporary use? What a temporary use!" Yuan Shao's eyes were wide open and he waved his whip in the air, as if he could disperse the tense atmosphere in the air.

"You attacked Jizhou, looted my food and burned my fields. How can such actions be done by a gentleman? Not to mention the alliance we made in the past. Now it seems to be nothing but a mirage, worthless!"

Cao Cao put down the wine pot, slowly stood up, looked at Yuan Shao with deep eyes, and said with a barely perceptible heaviness: "Brother Benchu, the current situation is unpredictable, and you and I are both in the midst of a chaotic world.

Although I, Cao Cao, am not a saint, I know that heroes are made by the times.

Jizhou is rich and can support a million soldiers. If I don't take it, it will be taken by others.

At that time, what will you and I do? Why don't we join hands and work together to make the world stable as soon as possible and save the people from the suffering of war? "

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao sneered even more: "Join hands? Cao Aman, do you know that your words are extremely hypocritical!

You have been pressing me step by step, and I have been attacked from all sides. Now you are talking about joining forces. Isn't it a joke? Although I, Yuan Shao, am not a wise man, I also know that people's hearts are hidden. Your ambition is known to everyone!"

"Ambition?" Cao Cao chuckled, stepped forward, and looked directly at Yuan Shao, "Yes, I have ambition. In this chaotic world, if you don't have ambition, how can you survive?

But my ambition is not only for personal honor and disgrace, but also to end this era of constant disputes and bring peace to all people in the world.

Brother Benchu, you and I are both ministers of the Han Dynasty. Why don't we put aside our prejudices and work together to revive the Han Dynasty?"

"Restore the Han Dynasty?" Yuan Shao laughed and said, "It's really ridiculous to hear this from you, Cao Cao!"

"Didn't you once say, 'I would rather let the world betray me than let the world betray me!'
When you killed your good friend Lü Bushe's family, did you ever think about restoring the Han Dynasty?"

Cao Cao heard this, his eyes were like torches, and his tone was firm: "Brother Benchu, no one is perfect.

I, Cao Cao, have reflected deeply on my past mistakes, and have come to understand even more clearly that in troubled times, it is difficult to reverse the situation by one's own strength alone.

What I mean by restoring the Han Dynasty is not empty talk, but a real desire to end the situation of warlords dividing the country and the people living in misery through our efforts.

Killing Lü Bushe was indeed a mistake on my part, but because of this, I cherish every opportunity to unite people and do not want to let innocent blood be shed because of me. "

"As for what you said, 'I would rather let the world betray me than let the world betray me', although this statement came from my mouth, it was a helpless statement made in an extreme situation.

My heart is always set on a peaceful and prosperous world where the people live and work in peace and contentment. If I, Cao Cao, can use my body as a bridge to connect heroes from all over the world and fight together for the national crisis, I will not hesitate even if I bear the infamy. "

“Brother Benchu, you and I are both ambitious people, why don’t we put aside our past grudges and move forward hand in hand?

You have three generations of high officials, and your family is prominent. You have many brave generals and counselors under your command. Although I, Cao Cao, came from a humble background, I have also fought for a place in the troubled times with my wisdom and courage. If we can work together, why should we worry about the rise of the Han Dynasty and the stability of the world? "

Cao Cao stood up and walked slowly when he was excited, his eyes flashing with longing and determination for the future: "Besides, the general trend of the world is that after a long period of unity, there will be division, and after a long period of division, there will be unity. This is the law of history and the will of the people.

As ministers of the Han Dynasty, we should follow the will of heaven and the people, put the overall situation first, and jointly create a brand new era."

Yuan Shao looked at him with disdain and said, "That's enough! Stop talking nonsense and stop using lame excuses like restoring the Han Dynasty!"

"I'll give you one more chance to reorganize your words."

Yuan Shao looked down at me and said, "If you still can't convince me this time, then let's see who's the winner."

Cao Cao spat out two words: "Youzhou!"

Yuan Shao's eyelids twitched slightly. The rapid progress of the southern army in Youzhou was rare, but Yuan Shao couldn't figure out how Jin Mao managed to deploy troops across thousands of miles.

"Speak in detail!" Yuan Shao dismounted from his horse, sat in front of Cao Cao, picked up the wine jar and drank it all in one gulp.

Cao Cao asked with a smile: "Brother Benchu, aren't you afraid that I will poison the wine?"

Yuan Shao said nonchalantly: "I have already ordered that if you die here this time, the Yuan army will fight to the death."

Cao Cao's expression froze for a moment, then he laughed out loud: "Haha!"

"Brother Benchu, you just love to joke."

Yuan Shao said very seriously: "I'm not joking."

This time, Cao Cao couldn't laugh anymore.

Yuan's army had just defeated Gongsun Zan, and their morale was high. Cao Ren was able to defeat a larger force with a smaller force, but that was because he had kidnapped the entire county's people. If he came again, they would definitely be unstoppable. Even so, the casualties were as high as a terrifying 3,000 people!
It can only be said that Cao Cao was very happy that his family had a famous defensive general, but at the same time, he was also shocked by the strong fighting power of Yuan's army.

As far as he knew, the casualties of Yuan’s army were almost one to one. This was a siege war!
Cao Cao said with a serious face: "Brother Benchu, you know that I even lost Xuzhou for this meeting."

Yuan Shao instinctively didn't believe it. He raised his eyebrows slightly, and a trace of doubt and inquiry flashed in his eyes. "What does Meng De mean by this? Xuzhou is a rich and prosperous place. It is not something that can be easily abandoned. Is there another hidden story?"

Cao Cao sighed and said slowly, "To be honest, the general detained my right-hand man Chen Gong, and this year there was a severe drought in the north and the harvest was poor. I had no choice but to ask him for help."

"I never thought that the general would ask for such a huge amount of money. Not only did he want the entire territory of Xuzhou, but he also wanted to send troops north to provide me with what I need."

"In order to prevent my men from starving to death, I have no choice but to resort to this desperate measure."

Yuan Shao nodded and said, "I see."

Both of them avoided talking about Xun Chen, intentionally avoiding the minefield.

Cao Cao felt a flash of sadness in his heart, and he gathered his emotions and continued, "Now that the general has many soldiers and generals, why don't you think he should go out to unify the world?"

Yuan Shao blurted out: "Warhorse!"

Cao Cao heard this, a hint of approval flashed in his eyes, he nodded slightly and took over the conversation: "It is the war horse."

“Although the general has millions of soldiers and abundant food and fodder, he has never had more than ten thousand war horses.

War horses are indispensable for forming elite cavalry. Without them, even a million-strong army would find it difficult to gain an absolute advantage outside the vast Central Plains, especially against places with rich horse resources such as Xiliang and Bingzhou."

"but!"

Cao Cao changed the subject and said, "Now, the general has sent Cheng Pu, Zhao Yun, Wen Pin, Xu Huang and others north to Youzhou."

"Brother Benchu, you should have heard of Cheng Pu, but I am talking about Zhao Yun!"

Cao Cao's eyes flashed with a gleam of light, and he continued, "Zhao Yun, also known by his courtesy name Zilong, is from Zhending, Changshan. He is a man of extraordinary martial arts, with the courage of ten thousand men, and his riding skills are superb. He can take the head of a general in an army of ten thousand horses as easily as taking something out of a bag.

Furthermore, Zhao Yun was a general of Gongsun Zan's White Horse Volunteers and had a deep understanding of Youzhou.

The general sent him north this time not only to expand the source of war horses, but also to build an invincible force that can compete with the Xiliang Iron Cavalry and Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry.

In Youzhou, Zhao Yun will be able to rely on his extraordinary talents to make friends with the northern tribes, or to conquer them with force, expand the territory for our Han Dynasty, and exchange for precious war horses. He can also take this opportunity to train a cavalry unit with agility and amazing combat power. "

"This move not only solves the problem of insufficient cavalry under the general, but also lays a key step for the future conquest of the four directions and unification of the world.

Zhao Yun is not only a martial arts expert, but also a man of extraordinary strategy.

Furthermore, Youzhou is a vast area with few people, but there are many horses. In addition, the people of the northern ethnic groups are brave and good at riding and shooting.

If the general gets this help, think about it, Brother Benchu, do you and I still have a chance to survive?"

Yuan Shao was silent for a moment, then asked, "Even if what you said is true, I agree to join forces, but can you return Jizhou to me?"

Cao Cao is about to curse, I wasted so much time talking to you, and you are still thinking about your few broken counties!
But the situation forced him to bow his head.

"Brother Benchu, rest assured." Cao Cao began to make big promises, "As long as you and I join forces to block the general's way north, the four counties are nothing. Not only will I hand them over to you, I will also help you conquer You, Bing, and Liang!"

"How about you and I divide the Yellow River and rule it?"

"Ha! You are quite calculating!" Yuan Shao sneered and said, "I heard that you once gave up the defense of Huailing County to Jin Mao."

"If you are really sincere in cooperating, then it's simple. Let go of the defense of Zhangwu County, and you and I will each guard half of the city, and I will cooperate with you."

When Cao Cao heard this, his eyes flashed slightly and a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He was well aware of Yuan Shao's suspicion and ambition, but he also admired his keen insight at the critical moment.

"Brother Benchu, you and I are both heroes in troubled times, and we naturally understand the principle of 'impatientness can ruin great plans'.

The incident at Huailing was indeed an expedient measure on my part, intended to contain the general and prevent him from taking advantage of the chaos to move north and threaten our army's flank.

However, the Zhangwu County you mentioned is extraordinary. It is an important barrier for our army to defend against the northern barbarians. If it is lost, the consequences will be disastrous."

Cao Cao turned around, staring at Yuan Shao with a sharp gaze, his tone was both sincere and firm: "However, to show my sincerity, I am willing to make strategic adjustments and move our defense line south, giving up part of the buffer zone adjacent to Zhangwu. At the same time, I will strengthen patrols and intelligence sharing at the border between the two sides to ensure that there are no worries between you and me. As for attacking You, Bing, and Liang, this is a long-term plan that requires you and me to plan together and advance step by step. It is not something that can be achieved overnight."

He paused for a moment, and his tone became gentler: "Brother Benchu, you and I both care about the world, why don't we take this opportunity to join hands and create a hegemony? When the time is right, we will rule the world from east to west with the Yellow River as the boundary, wouldn't it be great?"

After hearing this, Yuan Shao didn't want to waste any more time and got on his horse.

Because Cao Cao talked for a long time and it was still the same old thing. Who doesn't know how to make a big pie of the void? Just keep it for yourself.

"Hey, Brother Benchu."

Cao Cao anxiously grabbed the corner of Yuan Shao's clothes. From a distance, it seemed that the two were about to fight.

As a result, both armies started shouting and the atmosphere became tense.

Cao Cao did not dare to keep Yuan Shao any longer, and just said loudly: "Brother Benchu, if you can provide me with 400,000 shi of grain and grass, I will agree to all your requests!"

It is unknown whether Yuan Shao heard it or not, and he rode back to his own camp on horseback. Cao Cao did not dare to stay there any longer, so he quickly mounted his horse and fled back to his camp in a panic.

Then the war broke out.

Cao's army was defeated and retreated to Zhangwu County.

Yuan's army besieged the city for ten days but failed and retreated another thirty miles.

This time, it was Yuan Shao's turn to ask Cao Cao out for negotiations.

The position is between the two armies.

Each of them brought more than a hundred followers.

The content of this negotiation is unknown to outsiders, and it is not known how many of Yuan Shao's demands Cao Cao agreed to. In the end, Yuan's army retreated.

Cao Cao left 10,000 men to guard Cao Ren, and took 5,000 remaining soldiers with him from Zhangwu County to Julu County.

The 20,000 troops of Cao's army scattered in three counties also began to gather in Julu County.

Yuan Shao gathered his troops in Zhongshan State.

November twenty-ninth.

The Yuan army and the Cao army simultaneously launched a surprise attack on Zhang Yan of the Black Mountain Army.

Yuan's army moved from north to south, cutting off the Black Mountain Army's escape route from Changshan State back to Taihang Mountain. Cao's army moved from east to west, dividing the battlefield, leaving the main force of the Black Mountain Army behind.

A major war against the Montenegrin army was launched and lasted for a whole month.

The Black Mountain Army suffered 20,000 casualties and 50,000 were captured. The commander Zhang Yan was surrounded and killed, and countless leaders, both big and small, were killed or wounded.

From then on, the Black Mountain Army existed in name only, and Yuan Shao no longer had to worry about these annoying bandits coming to take advantage of him.

(End of this chapter)