The Nameless of the Common Clans

Chen Mo and Cao Cao are old rivals who know each other well. Ever since Chen Mo expanded his power to Heluo, regardless of the war, the overt and covert calculations between the two sides have never stopped. Cao Cao seized the emperor from Chen Mo and held the emperor hostage. The princes gave Cao Cao the capital to gain a foothold in the Central Plains during the era when the two Yuans were fighting. Even the weak resisted the strong, and finally Yuan Shu was wiped out step by step. Yuan Shao failed to fully expand his power to the Central Plains.

And Chen Mo sent Jia Xu to secretly enter Suiyang. Although regicide was not Chen Mo's original intention, that time almost caused Cao Cao to be doomed. Right or wrong is not really important in this world, especially when they have their hands full. This is especially true for bloody people.

This time they fought again in Langya. Chen Mo and Cao Cao were very cautious in deploying their troops. Both sides tried their best, but neither dared to use their full strength. The fighting between the two sides continued every day. The real fire had been unleashed for a long time, but at this moment they were all suppressed. At this moment, both of them knew that the outcome of this battle would not happen overnight.

But neither Chen Mo nor Cao Cao thought that this battle would last for more than a year, from the beginning of the ninth year of Han Dynasty when Xia Houyuan made a surprise attack on Zhang He's camp and broke the Jiwu Mountain defense line, to Zhang He's defeat of Cao Hong, and the confrontation between the two sides. Later, the two sides fought no less than a hundred times in this rugged valley, and the battle lasted until the summer of the 10th year of the Han Dynasty. The victory was still not decided, but both sides suffered heavy losses in strength.

The loss of troops is only one of them. What is more important is the consumption of logistics and food. Cao Cao only has Qingzhou, but he has to support the consumption of a hundred thousand troops for the expedition, plus the expenses of Pingyuan, Linzi and other places to defend Yu Sheng and Wuyi's army. , obviously not easy.

For Chen Mo, the ninth year of the Han Dynasty was a disaster year. The Central Plains was conquered in the eighth year of the Han Dynasty. Starting from the autumn of the eighth year of the Han Dynasty, the disasters in the Central Plains never stopped. It was not until the ninth year of the Han Dynasty that they broke out in all directions.

Chen Mo not only had to support the army here, but the disaster in the Central Plains also needed to be managed. The chaos in the Central Plains could not continue. There were also a series of problems such as spring plowing and autumn harvest. It was not until the second half of the year, after the autumn harvest, that the disaster began to ease.

This disaster is not a natural disaster, but a military disaster. The suffering caused by last year's war has only really emerged this year. In order to provide disaster relief in the Central Plains, almost all the grain reserves in Hebei and Guanzhong in the past few years have been used. Although the Central Plains did not appear. The chaos also caused Chen Mo to lose all the money he had saved over the years, and it also took away the entire Chen family's wealth and a year's salary from the civil and military officials of the Luoyang Manchu Dynasty.

Although the Central Plains has recovered a bit this year, in order to show kindness to the Central Plains and allow the people who have not experienced war to recover, Chen Mo promised 10% of the tax for three years, plus the amount owed from the Guanzhong grain requisition in the previous two years. It has to be said that although Chen Mo now occupies a vast territory, the current situation is that he has no soldiers and no food.

If Jiangdong had not experienced twists and turns in the succession due to the death of Sun Ce, although in the end, in order to be able to fight against the Jiangdong court and suppress the Jiangdong gentry, Sun Shao gave up the succession and fully supported Sun Quan to succeed Sun Ce, making Jiangdong today Mainly to deal with internal affairs. Sun Quan is the new general of Jiangdong. He has no prestige in the army and is unable to conquer the north. Now Chen Mo will be in an even more uncomfortable situation.

"I didn't want to have all the three states in the Central Plains, but now I am blocked by one Qingzhou." At the Zhengrong Valley Camp, Chen Mo looked helplessly at the letter sent by Xu Shu. Although he didn't say it clearly, Chen Mo understood that there was a problem with the logistics and food. .

"My lord, you want to withdraw your troops?" a counselor hesitated.

It is the most troublesome thing to have a leaky house and rain, but that is how life is. Even if Chen Mo has always been very stable in his work, he still failed to make complete preparations for this trip to the Central Plains. In other words, God cannot really give you everything. , no matter what happens, it will always give you some hardships and make you unable to live well.

In fact, it cannot be blamed on God. No matter where you are in this world, there will be thousands of threads entangling you. If you want to take a step forward, there will definitely be someone who wants to pull you back. Chen Mo wants to completely pacify the Central Plains. , Cao Cao is naturally unwilling. In the Luoyang court, there will also be people who are unwilling, either for interests or for righteousness. Ordinary small things are fine. Chen Mo has absolute certainty and confidence that he can settle these problems, but when he really encounters this kind of problem, When the general trend of the world is decided, if you want to wait for the day when everything is ready, you may not be able to wait for a lifetime.

Either there is no fighter opportunity, or like now, the fighter opportunity is seized, but many conditions in the rear are actually not perfect. The last step forward is faced with great resistance, not only from the enemy, but also from behind oneself, and even in Chen Mo's heart Everyone was feeling war-weary at this moment. The counselor's words did not only represent him personally, but also the aspirations of everyone, including Chen Mo, Cao Cao and even the soldiers on both sides.

I don’t want to fight.

"If you retreat at this time, you will give Cao Cao a chance to recuperate. Although Qingzhou is not big, if you come next time, you will not only face Cao Cao, but also Jiangdong behind you." Chen Mo shook his head: "I know you guys They all want to leave. This war has been going on for a year. Not only are the troops tired of war, but so are the generals. Even I am tired of it, but..."

When the conversation changed, Chen Mo looked at the crowd and said: "This battle must be fought. We are tired of fighting. Cao Jun feels the same way. Now it's time to see who can hold on. If we can hold on until the end, Qingzhou will be won, but If we withdraw at this time, our success will be in vain. If we try to capture Qingzhou again, we will not be able to do it within three to five years. The situation in the Central Plains has stabilized. Starting next year, the situation will gradually get better. This year is the most difficult year. I hope you can accompany us. Cao Cao and I will endure more and more. The longer this war drags on, the worse it will be for Cao Cao’s army. This battle will be fought in Qingzhou! "

Chen Mo's difficulties are in the present, while Cao Cao's difficulties are in the future. Qingzhou alone will obviously not be able to support these consecutive years of consumption. After Chen Mo passes this year, taxes in various parts of the Central Plains will continue to increase next year as the people gradually settle down. , plus the taxes sent from Hebei, things will get better next year. , but it is still difficult. If Cao Cao can sustain it until the next year, the supplies on Chen Mo's side will gradually become richer. Food and grass supplies from Guanzhong, Hebei, and the Central Plains will be continuously sent over, and new recruits will be able to devote themselves after these three years of training. The battlefield is over, and Cao Cao's end will almost come by then.

So no matter how difficult it is now, we can't give up. It may be a gamble, but if we hold on now, it will only be a temporary pain. If we wait until Jiangdong recovers, Sun Quan will secure his position as the lord of Jiangdong or Liu Ji will overpower Sun Quan and truly take charge of Jiangdong. With great power, Chen Mo will be optimistic if he wants to win Qingzhou for three to five years.

Now that Chen Mo has made a decision, no one will say anything more. Some things can be discussed, but for matters like the next strategy, Chen Mo has made a decision. No one here will object, so we can work in this direction. Can.

…

Just as Chen Mo said, Cao Cao is indeed exhausted now. It's not that he doesn't have enough troops, but that he is tired. He is too tired to fight with his little brother. It is really not easy to take advantage of him. The two sides have been fighting for more than a year. , hundreds of large and small wars, if calculated in total, Cao Cao actually suffered some losses.

Putting aside the issue of military strength, in terms of logistics alone, even if the war damage this year has been serious, the wealth he brought with him is somewhat unable to support him.

Although Qingzhou has not been affected by war, after all, Qingzhou is not a major grain-producing state like Jizhou, Xuzhou, Jingzhou, and Yuzhou. Qingzhou's taxes alone cannot support Cao Cao's many troops.

Chen Mo was feeling war-weary, but Cao Cao knew that if he continued to waste it, he might really be at the end of his rope.

Moreover, Chen Mo had local clan problems, and Cao Cao also faced conflicts between the local gentry in Qingzhou and the big clans he brought.

"My lord, Mr. Fengxiao is dying!" A personal guard hurriedly ran into the quiet tent.

When Cao Cao heard this, his expression changed, he quickly stood up, and quickly ran towards Guo Jia's camp with Xun Yu, Cheng Yu and Xu Chu.

In fact, Guo Jia had health problems at the beginning of the year. He often fainted suddenly and coughed up blood more and more frequently. Even if he invited the best doctors from Qingzhou, he could not cure Guo Jia. Even some doctors could not cure him. Jiang directly predicted that Guo Jia would not survive this year, and was killed by Cao Cao in anger.

"Follow me!" Cao Cao rushed into Guo Jia's tent and looked at Guo Jia, whose face was like gold paper and was dying. Cao Cao felt a pain in his heart. He stretched out his hand to grab Guo Jia's hand and said with a smile: "Feng Xiao Is Xiao okay?"

"My lord, are you okay with Jia?" Guo Jia said helplessly.

"The doctor said he's fine." Cao Cao shook his head.

"Jian can live to this day, and God has treated me well. Jia also knows that these five stones are harmful to people, but he just can't let go." Guo Jia shook his head and sighed: "I just feel unworthy of my lord's love."

"Fengxiao, please don't say that. Do you remember how high-spirited Fengxiao was when he came to my command? Together, we can bring peace to the world!" Cao Cao said quickly.

"Originally, Jia Ye thought that he would help the Lord to rule the world fairly." Guo Jia said with some regret: "Unfortunately, God not only gave birth to Guo Fengxiao, but also gave birth to Chen Bodao. This man's resolute character is rare in the world unless he is able to strategize under the rule of the Lord. , If there is no such person, at least what Chen Mo has now should belong to the lord."

Cao Cao was silent when he heard this. What would happen to the world without Chen Mo? Perhaps it is as Guo Jia said, but there is no if in this world, Chen Mo really exists.

"Speaking of which, Jia and Chen Mo also have the same friendship. He should call me senior brother." Guo Jia said with a smile: "When he came to Yingchuan to invite me, I avoided seeing him. Instead, I chose my lord, my lord. Chia has never regretted it.”

When Cao Cao heard this, his nose felt sour. He did have a grudge about this, but he never showed it. It turned out that Guo Jiaquan knew about it.

"Now that Jia's death has come, he can no longer assist the lord, so there are some things that Jia wants to say to the lord." Guo Jia looked at Cao Cao seriously and said.

"It's okay to be filial but say so."

"The general trend of the world is at this point. Qingzhou is surrounded on three sides and there is no way out. Even if we can win this battle, it will only delay the chance of defeat. If the lord is unwilling to surrender to Chen Mo, he should find a way out early." Guo Jia looked at Cao Cao's side. Xun Yu and others all retreated, leaving only Cao Cao.

Cao Cao was silent when he heard this, but he didn't know that the world is so big, Chen Mo has already divided it into two thirds, and the remaining Jiangdong and Liu Bei are not easy to deal with. If they are too weak to surrender, they must be on guard. Instead of doing this, It would be better to surrender Chen Mo. At least Cao Cao can guarantee that if he surrenders, Chen Mo will not treat him badly.

"Now there are three points in the world, and Chen Mo has taken two of them, but there may not be a time when he can rise again." Guo Jia said with a smile.

"What do you mean by being filial?" Cao Cao's eyes lit up when he heard this and he looked at Guo Jiadao.

"Sichuan!" After Guo Jia calmed down, he looked at Cao Cao and said: "This place is surrounded by dangerous mountains. If my lord can find it, although he cannot enter the Central Plains, he can ensure that the Cao family will not be defeated. Even if Chen Mo attacks Shu in the future, , if my lord can occupy the land of Shu, he can also use the danger of Jianmen to connect to Jiangdong to compete with it! But..."

Cao Cao frowned when he heard this and said: "Just what? Fengxiao..."

When he turned around to look, he saw that Guo Jia had closed his eyes and his hand holding on to Cao Cao had lost all strength. Cao Cao's hand loosened and fell down.

“Feng Xiao…” Cao Cao looked at Guo Jia’s lifeless body, grief welling up in his heart. He fell weakly beside Guo Jia’s couch, crying loudly…