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Cao Cao always remained cautious of Lyu Bu, and that’s why he was not particularly keen on the suggestion from his trusted Xun Yu, considering that Cao Cao didn’t feel any sense of crisis at the moment.
Think about it, Yuan Shu, who bragged about beating the whole map, is now facing Cao Cao upfront, and Cao Cao realized that he seemed stronger than his opponent in every aspect, from the commander-in-chief to strategists, from military generals to soldiers. After engaging with Yuan Shu, he discovered that if he went all out, he could easily squish Yuan Shu into a mess without any problem!
That’s why Cao Cao was not interested in Xun Yu’s proposal. Without any sense of crisis, Cao Cao had no interest in keeping a ticking time bomb close to his chest. As for Diao Chan, as someone with a particular affection for married women, Cao Cao had to admit he might not have been interested before, but now that she’s become Lyu Bu’s concubine, he’s become interested...
If Cao Cao had been somewhat uneasy before facing Yuan Shu due to the remnants of the Yuan Family’s influence, now, after clashing with Yuan Shu for so long, Cao Cao had become completely composed!
He, Cao Mengde, now had the right to look down on Yuan Shu. No boasting, despite Yuan Shu stationing tens of thousands of troops under Wancheng, Cao Cao genuinely didn’t care. If it weren’t for the purpose of drilling soldiers, Cao Cao thought that he could pick any time to school Yuan Shu like he did when they were younger, teaching that chubby kid a lesson.
It was this comparison that made Cao Cao suddenly realize his own strength had soared, and not just by a little. Although his foundation was somewhat unstable, it was undeniable that if he was willing to pay a certain price, Yuan Shu would be no match for him, and a strong offensive all the way to Runan would not be a problem.
With these thoughts in mind, Cao Cao’s fear of Liu Bei vanished, looking back, he realized that Liu Bei’s conquest of Yuzhou wasn’t of any pressure to him at the current situation. Each had populations of around five million, he now had Nanyang and Yingchuan, and was well-supplied with food, soldiers, valiant generals, and strategists; whatever Liu Xuande had, Cao Mengde had too. What’s there to fear?
Because of this, Cao Cao, who had grown bolder after beating Yuan Shu during the past period, began quietly reconquering the Yanzhou land he had previously given up. To this move, Xun Yu felt both amused and helpless, eventually turning a blind eye. In fact, he and Xun You and others also shared an idea: it was necessary to test Liu Xuande’s combat power, for without direct confrontation, relying on intelligence alone did not explain much.
Just as Yuan Shu appeared strong and shocking in the intelligence reports, the actual confrontation revealed that, although Xun Yu did not wish to belittle Yuan Shu, the combat power of Yuan Shu’s Yuzhou soldiers was truly second-rate. Hence, the Jingzhou soldiers, who had been beaten badly by Yuan Shu, were probably just at the second or third-rate level. Isn’t this just a piece of fat meat? Xun Yu had entertained the thought of taking over Nanyang several times!
Eventually, Xun Yu extinguished this thought. To completely take over Nanyang would be a different matter, facing both Yuan Shu and Liu Biao head-on!
Even though the combat power displayed by Yuan Shu and Liu Biao up to now made Xun Yu feel that fighting two enemies at once was no problem as long as there was enough supply, the repercussions would be too great. With Yuan Shu in between, later on, they could feasibly negotiate with Liu Biao. Therefore, Xun Yu still preferred to drill his soldiers against Yuan Shu at Wancheng and then to quietly abduct population from Yuan Shu’s territories, relocate them to his own domains, and gradually strengthen himself. Keeping a low profile to develop strength was indeed the King’s Way.
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As for Yuan Shao of Hebei, Cao Cao, who had absorbed Yingchuan and taken Wancheng, was no longer particularly worried. He used to be the junior and had Zhang Yang and his group watching over him, preventing him from making bold moves, but now things have changed, who’s afraid of whom? Zhang Yang is closer to me, listen to your orders to cause me trouble? Do you really think that tiny shrimp is enough for one of my fingers?
Consequently, those small Feudal Lords in Cao Cao’s vicinity, who were somewhat on par with him, were all out of luck. Previously, they were Yuan Shao’s subordinates, but now the junior Cao Cao had grown strong enough to vie for the top spot. Hence, these reeds swaying in the wind had no choice but to lean toward Cao Cao’s side. This change in allegiance hadn’t lasted for long when news arrived that Yuan Shao had crippled Gongsun Zan at Jieqiao, causing those juniors to suddenly feel uneasy.
Cao Cao was aware of what these people were thinking but didn’t take it to heart. Although he still had some apprehension about Yuan Shao’s strength, with Xun Yu’s analysis, Cao Cao wasn’t worried that Yuan Shao would trouble him. After all, at this point, he, Cao Mengde, was no longer the minor character he was at Hulao Pass. If it indeed came to battle and Cao Cao found himself at a disadvantage, Yuan Shao would also have to spew out three liters of blood to eliminate Cao Cao!
In other words, Cao Cao realized that ever since he took control of Yingchuan and Nanyang, and his strength had increased, the situation in all directions seemed to have become very favorable. There was no longer a need to be as cautious as when he was hunkered down in Yanzhou, where every move had to be deeply contemplated and carefully weighed. Now, he could do whatever he wanted, and if worst came to worst, he could just settle it with his fists—after some testing, he found his fists were quite big!
Xun Yu and the others also noticed the change in Cao Cao. Indeed, a sovereign’s aura naturally shifts with their status. If previously, Cao Cao of Yanzhou was a Hidden Dragon in the abyss merely accumulating strength, now Cao Cao had soared into the sky, what was missing was just an acknowledgment!
It wasn’t like before when he relied on surprise attacks to take down other’s territories, but rather an honorable and straightforward defeat of a Feudal Lord. A confrontation on the battlefield like how Yuan Shao had recently done, toppling Gongsun Zan and at that moment, inheriting the title of the strongest Feudal Lord in the north.
And there was Liu Bei, the Hegemon of Central Plains, who had routed a million with thirty thousand and faced the Yellow Turbans head-on, earning him that qualification. Such head-on wars are not favored by Strategists, but every top-notch Strategist understands that when a force develops to its limits, such a confrontation is necessary.
The gap between the honorable King’s Way and cowering behind, scheming, lies right here. Schemes, no matter how extensive, once maxed out, are just that. Without the ability to stand up and raise the banner, they will ultimately be ground to dust by others. Only sufficient strength can gather people’s hearts. The kind of low-intensity Drilling Soldiers that strengthen only the veterans are far from the elite Xun Yu had in mind, far too far!
These thoughts consolidated together, and all the Strategists under Cao Mengde reached a unanimous consensus, which was to let Cao Cao continue his current actions. Even if it meant provoking Liu Bei, that was fine; gauging Liu Bei’s limits was critical. Moreover, a tough battle was essential. Liu Xuande’s presence had already put considerable pressure on these people. A fight would give them a sense of his weight!
As for what to do if things escalated to genuine hostility, Xun Yu simply cast a cold glance towards the east as Xi Zhicai provided the answer, "There can only be one Overlord under heaven. Even if it leads to genuine hostility, what of it? It would be nothing more than a war that was due in a decade or so starting earlier, a contest to see who is truly favored by the Mandate of Heaven!"(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote and offer your monthly support at qidian.com. Your backing is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)
