Chapter 258 A series of changes brought about by the great victory [Subscription required]

Youzhou's war horses, related horse harness preparations, medicinal materials and mineral deposits are all world-famous.

Its unique resources make it as important as any other state or county.

The Youzhou horse is not only tall in size, but also has great endurance and great speed, and its explosive power during short-distance sprints is truly unique.

Since the Spring and Autumn Period, Yan and Zhao have been home to many brave warriors, making Youzhou a military stronghold in history.

The special geographical conditions also made Youzhou a base for rebels and those against the Central Plains regime at different times, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

This time we captured Youzhou and gained a lot.

Youzhou governs eleven counties and covers a very large area.

But the population is small, with only three million people in one state.

After the Wuhuan disappeared, there was still a multi-blood population in Youzhou formed by the intermixing of many Han people and nomadic tribes.

Most of these people consider themselves Han people, and their loyalty is much better than that of the Wuhuan people.

Zhang Xiu was also good at using cavalry, so Cao Cao asked him and Yan Rou to select soldiers and form a new Youzhou cavalry to become his source of soldiers and provide him with cavalry for a long time.

After everything was arranged, before Cao Cao returned south, a team arrived in Liucheng under the escort of 800 soldiers and horses.

The leader of the team was Gongsun Du, the governor of Liaodong.

Not only did he come to see Cao Cao in person, he also brought a number of prisoners and two boxes as gifts, which contained the heads of Yuan Xi and Guo Tu.

Gongsun Du is tall, with obvious wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and a thin hooked nose, giving him a strong and shrewd look.

He is forty-seven years old.

Coming in person to deliver his head was his attitude, showing his loyalty to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao sent troops to Youzhou to attack the Wuhuan.

Gongsun Du remained silent.

He is observing.

Cao's army wanted to defeat the Wuhuan and take back Youzhou before winter this year, but anyone with a little military knowledge knew that it was impossible.

After the Wuhuan joined forces with the Xianbei, Gongsun Du once judged that Cao Cao might withdraw his troops or even be defeated by the coalition forces.

However, when the real battle broke out, it could only be said that Cao Cao's strategic tactics and use of troops were far beyond his expectations.

Through an expedition to the east, he not only defeated the Wuhuan, but also defeated the elite of the Eastern Xianbei.

In order to eliminate future troubles, Cao Cao killed the Wuhuan people ruthlessly and decisively, which also shocked Gongsun Du.

So when he saw Yuan Xi, who entered Liaodong and persuaded him to establish himself as emperor, he wanted to kill him.

Bring his head to see Cao Cao.

What the two discussed in secret after their meeting became a secret that many people in Cao's camp were curious about.

The next day, Gongsun Du returned east to Liaodong County.

His son Gongsun Kang came with him to meet Cao Cao, but stayed in Cao's camp. His status was similar to that of Sun Quan.

After Gongsun Du returns, he will send an army of 8,000 people to join Cao Cao's army.

This team will be incorporated into Cao's army system and fight for Cao Cao.

However, the money for maintaining the army was supported by the annual tax revenue from Liaodong.

In other words, Cao Cao didn't have to spend any money, but he had an extra group of elite soldiers working for him.

At the same time, with his son Gongsun Kang as a hostage, Cao Cao would send people to Liaodong from time to time to observe the governance, financial resources, and military growth in the territory, and adjust the taxes paid at any time.

With these conditions as a prerequisite, Cao Cao agreed to let Gongsun Du continue to serve as the prefect of Liaodong.

He was an ambitious man, but Cao Cao admired him quite a lot.

In history, Gongsun Du dealt with some surrounding tribes by forming alliances and continuing to expand.

It was a good thing that Cao Cao asked him to conquer the world in the east.

The final result was that Gongsun Kang took over and then they were swallowed up by Cao's camp together.

Gongsun Du left, and all the officials in Cao's camp gathered. Yan Rou and Xian Yu Fu humbly asked Cao Cao for advice:

"How come you, Governor, can predict the future so well that you know that we don't need to pursue him, and that Governor Gongsun will help us get rid of Yuan Xi?"

Yan Rou and others actually knew the reason, but pretended not to know and took the opportunity to flatter Cao Cao and highlight his wise decision.

Cao Cao Le's cooperation:

"If we go after them, it will be too much pressure. Gongsun Du might want to huddle together with Yuan Xi for warmth.

If we don't chase them, Gongsun Du will understand my attitude. He is frightened by our army's defeat of the Wuhuan and naturally knows what to do.

He took in Yuan Xi, which was a hundred harms and no benefit. Wouldn't he be able to choose?"

A group of people took the opportunity to flatter Cao Cao, saying that he was very knowledgeable and insightful and no one could hide anything from him.

Cao Cao thought that if he couldn't see through the intentions of these guys, he would easily get lost in the flattery and think that he was the wisest man in the world. That's how a foolish ruler is created.

After meeting Gongsun Du, Cao Cao set out on his return journey the next day.

During the Han Dynasty, there was a sudden climate change called the Little Ice Age. The winters in the northern provinces and counties, including the grasslands, were unimaginably cold.

Cao Cao ran away due to the cold.

After the war, the troops returned south one after another. Cao Cao stayed behind to deal with the aftermath and also to meet Gongsun Du.

Late November.

Under the protection of his personal troops, Cao Cao walked to Jieshi Mountain on the edge of Liaoxi County and ordered his carriage to stop.

No matter how cold it is, I have to climb up the Jieshi Mountain to take a look.

Not only because here you can overlook the magnificent East China Sea and observe the vastness of the starry universe at night.

More importantly, two great monarchs of previous generations once stopped to gaze at the sea while touring the East China Sea.

These two monarchs were Emperor Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han.

The achievements of both of them span the ages. Cao Cao was somewhat self-deprecating.

Although the Emperor Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han had glorious historical figures, their literary talent was not as good as that of Cao Cao.

The stone carvings of Langya Terrace and the sentences they wrote during the Fengshan ceremony were all repaired and beautified by civil officials. Cao Cao climbed the Jieshi Mountain, overlooked the vast sea, looked up at the stars, and in an instant he chanted a famous poem "Viewing the Sea" that has been passed down through the ages.

"Looking eastwards from Jieshi, I can see the vast sea... The sun and the moon seem to be coming out of it. The stars seem to be shining from it. I am so lucky that I can sing to express my feelings."

On the top of Jieshi Mountain, Cao Cao stood with his hands behind his back, his sleeves fluttering.

After conquering Youzhou, his achievements reached a new level and he was at the pinnacle of power.

The cold wind cuts my cheeks and the waves hit the shore.

In history, when Cao Cao conquered Youzhou, he was 53 years old, 20 years later than him.

How much can be accomplished in twenty years... Cao Cao was ambitious and his emotions fluctuated.

Behind him, Jia Xu, Cheng Yu and others were numb from the cold.

Jia Xu ordered the clerks around him: "Hurry up and write down the poem written by the governor. This poem is so good. The talent of the governor is rare throughout the ages."

Then he asked cautiously:

"Governor, we have climbed the Jieshi Mountain, seen the sea, and admired the starry sky. If we stand here any longer, I will feel a little uncomfortable.

This cold wind chills the bones of people, please take care of yourself, Governor."

Cao Cao: "You are afraid that you will catch a cold."

Jia Xu said frankly: "Xu must protect himself so that he can continue to follow the governor and make plans for you."

The mouth is quite sweet.

Cheng Yu shivered on the side: "Mr. Zhou, can we not talk here?"

"Let's go, let's go down the mountain."

After they came down the mountain, they set up camp on the spot.

Early the next morning, Cao Cao climbed the mountain again to watch the sunrise before leisurely continuing his journey.

When the team returned to Jizhou, it became noticeably warmer.

In his carriage, Cao Cao was thinking about the current situation and what to do next.

After taking Youzhou, we can focus on planning Liangzhou without distraction.

If we take Liangzhou, we will truly unify the north.

At this time, the location, population, and economy of several states and counties in the south were inferior to those in the north.

Many historical books do not even acknowledge the Shu and Wu regimes during the Three Kingdoms period, believing them to be local separatist regimes and unorthodox.

After unifying the north, Cao Cao will control the nine provinces, which in a sense can be considered a small unification and he can establish a country.

Cao Cao called up the entry and took a look.

According to the entry, the population under his rule is increasing every moment and has exceeded 40 million.

He read the entry and felt quite relieved.

This population is much larger than the same period in history. He has made many contributions, ending the unrest in many places ahead of time.

The population under his rule continued to increase, with some people fleeing from Huainan and Jingzhou.

There was a severe drought in Huainan last year, and the grain harvest was already very low.

After Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor, he lived an extravagant life and spent a huge amount of money.

Coupled with the military operations of Sun Ce and Cao Ying against it, the short-lived Huainan Zhongjia regime was on the verge of collapse.

Cao Cao then changed his mind, and when his reputation reached five million, he received three fixed-point prompts.

In one of the tombs, the location of the elixir of life was marked.

It just so happened that Ling Jin and his uncle Li Wufang had returned to Yecheng with a full load from Mozi's tomb, so they could go and get the elixir of life.

However, Cao Cao was actually a little hesitant about whether to send someone to the tomb where the elixir of life was located.

That tomb is too big and may be no less dangerous than the Qinling Tomb.

……

Luoyang.

Emperor Liu Xie is drafting a new imperial edict.

Cao Cao defeated the Wuhuan and restored Youzhou to his rule. When the news spread back, everyone praised and rejoiced.

Externally, he had outstanding military achievements, and internally, his good governance was gaining the support of the people.

The emperor's worries were growing day by day.

He drafted an edict for Cao Cao, and at the same time he also wanted to try to negotiate terms with Cao Cao through the imperial edict.

Along with the imperial edict, there was also a private letter from the emperor sent to Cao Cao.

Before Cao Cao's carriage returned to Yecheng on its way south, the troops sent by the emperor went north to meet him and delivered the imperial edict.

In his imperial edict, the emperor abolished the three-rank system of Taiwei, Sikong, and Situ, restored the positions of prime minister and imperial envoy, and appointed Cao Cao as prime minister to take charge of state affairs.

On the surface, this seemed to be a reward to celebrate Cao Cao's triumphant return, but in reality, it was a hidden agenda and was the young emperor's last struggle and political tactic.

Along with the imperial edict came a piece of news from Zhong Yao.

Cao's army defeated the Wuhuan, and the great victory in Youzhou brought about a series of changes. Ma Teng of Liangzhou accepted the appointment given by Zhong Yao on behalf of Cao Cao.

This means that he was willing to join Cao's camp and agreed to meet Cao Cao.

"If Ma Teng comes to see me, then Ma Chao will start to cheat his father."

Cao Cao unfolded the emperor's private letter in the car, and the content of the letter made his eyes narrow slowly.

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(End of this chapter)