The phrase Xun You spoke of—Golden horns, silver edges, grass belly.
Seven simple characters.
Yet, they contained Cao Cao's greatest crisis.
This was also the pain of all who had attempted to "ascend to the heavens" in history: no foundation, a land of four battles!
And what did Cao Cao mean by Lu Yu's proposed "East Gaze, West Gather, South Traverse, North Harmony, Center Stabilize"?
Xun You and Xi Zhi Cai listened with utmost concentration.
Cao Cao's voice continued.
"Gongda's words are very reasonable. To solve this 'grass belly' problem, it's nothing more than a few points. First, to avoid multi-front wars as much as possible. Second, to tailor strategies to individuals and formulate corresponding plans for each potential threat. Third, in my opinion, it is Lu Sinong's proposed ten-character mantra!"
Here, Cao Cao paused, then explained them one by one in detail:
"Let's start with 'East Gaze,' which naturally refers to the cities of Xiaopei, Xiapi, and Guangling in eastern Xuzhou. This is what Zhi Cai mentioned earlier, and why I let Liu Bei go!"
"According to Lu Sinong's 'East Gaze' strategy, instead of keeping Liu Bei in hand, it's better to let him go!"
"But..." Hearing this, Xi Zhi Cai interrupted directly. "But this is letting the tiger return to the mountain!"
"Hahaha..." Cao Cao replied with a laugh. "Zhi Cai, let me finish. Lu Sinong's 'East Gaze' strategy, meaning our attitude towards Xuzhou, is to observe! As you said, letting Liu Bei go is indeed letting the tiger return to the mountain, but what if there's another tiger in Xuzhou? Wouldn't that become two tigers competing for food?"
"Xuzhou is just that big... Moreover, Liu Bei relies on the commoners' faction, while Lu Bu relies on the Danyang faction. We are not without leverage. The scholarly faction of Xuzhou, Chen Gui and Chen Deng, had already surrendered before we went south. When two tigers fight, one must be injured. Not to mention Xuzhou, this great dye vat!"
"If we were to hastily attack Xuzhou, then Lu Bu and Liu Bei would certainly join forces. But if we merely observe, they already have their own grudges, and a major conflict is only a matter of time. By then..."
At this point, Cao Cao's words abruptly stopped.
Everyone present was intelligent; a hint was enough, no need to over-explain!
Indeed, Xi Zhi Cai suddenly understood...
As for Xun You, he merely raised his eyes slightly.
It was as if the moment Cao Cao proposed the concept of "East Gaze," he had already grasped the underlying reason.
Speaking of which, although Xi Zhi Cai, Xun You, and Xun Yu were all strategists, in the formulation of macro-strategies, Xi Zhi Cai could not compare to Xun You, let alone Xun Yu.
However... if it came to micro-battles and engagements between armies.
The keen capture of the opponent's flaws was Xi Zhi Cai's specialty!
In this regard, Xun You was slightly inferior to him, and Xun Yu was far behind.
This was the so-called division of labor among strategists.
Before the battle, agents were used for espionage;
During the battle, monitor the morale of our soldiers;
Survey the terrain; analyze the enemy generals for the commander;
Or formulate macro-plans and deployments; arrange formations during battle...
These many items were specific branches of strategists.
Xi Zhi Cai specialized in battlefield formations, Xun Yu excelled in macro-planning, and Xun You was versatile in all aspects!
Therefore, for the same words spoken by Cao Cao, the two men understood and comprehended at vastly different speeds.
However...
Looking back now and savoring it, Lu Yu's "East Gaze" strategy seemed feasible, indeed it was!
Admittedly, Cao Cao letting Liu Bei go was like releasing a tiger back into the mountain, but a mountain can hardly accommodate two tigers. With this "observation," wouldn't an opportunity arise?
Furthermore, for Xun You, this strategy was not unfamiliar.
When dealing with Lu Bu, Liu Bei, and Yuan Shu in the past, this strategy was employed, allowing the three of them to wear each other down, while Cao Cao took the opportunity to develop and reap the benefits.
It was precisely because of this that Cao Cao had the energy to swallow Yuan Shu in one go.
Now, reusing the same tactic was merely a continuation of this grand strategy.
It was just unknown who the next to be eliminated would be, the self-proclaimed clever Liu Bei?
Or the arrogant Lu Bu?
"A fine 'East Gaze'..."
Before Xun You could sigh, Xi Zhi Cai exclaimed first...
Now, why Cao Sikong let Liu Bei go, why Cao Sikong mentioned preparing a gift for Liu Bei, he understood it all.
For a moment, Xi Zhi Cai's eyes flickered repeatedly, and he became immensely curious about the other eight characters of Lu Yu's "East Gaze" and the following "West Gather, South Traverse, North Harmony, Center Stabilize."
For a fleeting moment, he felt that after "East Gaze," happiness could still be multiplied several times!
"Cao Sikong, does this 'East Gaze' concern Lu Bu and Liu Bei of Xuzhou? Then what about 'West Gather'?"
Xi Zhi Cai asked curiously...
"West Gather?" Upon hearing this word, Xun You's eyes narrowed; it seemed... he thought of something again.
Seeing his expression, Cao Cao simply spread his hands.
"Gongda, why don't you guess first!"
Hearing this, Xun You paused slightly, then said, "Since Lu Sinong's 'East Gaze' strategy concerns Lu Bu and Liu Bei in the east, then the 'West Gather' strategy must correspond to the Guanxi lords, right? According to the literal meaning of 'gather,' Lu Sinong is most likely proposing that Cao Sikong win over one or two of the Guanxi lords?"
Heh...
Not bad, Xun You was completely correct!
Cao Cao nodded with a smile.
"As Gongda said, the situation in Guanxi is even more dire than ours. Ma Teng and Han Sui are locked in a fierce battle with Li Jue and Guo Si. Besides these four warlords, there are many other warlord forces there, and it is very complex, with local magnates and descendants of military families. If my predictions are correct... in the next few years, they will further engage in mutual conquest and struggle for interests!"
"And what do they need most at such a time? It is the support of the imperial court. If we let the imperial court support Han Sui and Ma Teng, agree to become allies with them, and jointly assist the Son of Heaven, granting them titles as governors of Yong and Liang provinces!"
"This way, Han Sui and Ma Teng will receive aid from the imperial court, equivalent to receiving the banner of 'righteousness.' They will undoubtedly be overjoyed. Before the situation in Guanzhong is completely stabilized, they will follow our lead. This is equivalent to guarding our western gate for us. Lu Sinong's 'West Gather' strategy is precisely this!"
Hiss...
Cao Cao's profound analysis flowed out.
Xun You and Xi Zhi Cai nodded in agreement.
This point, through the two words "West Gather," could be roughly inferred.
As Cao Cao analyzed, the situation in Guanzhong was complex and sensitive. If left to develop freely, it would be a hidden danger.
But if one or two factions were won over, using the Son of Heaven's name, they would willingly guard the western gate for Cao Sikong. This was undoubtedly the optimal solution.
However, Lu Yu's choice of Han Sui and Ma Teng was a surprise to both Xi Zhi Cai and Xun You.
Of course, this was not important.
Lu Yu's insight, judgment of the situation, and understanding of human hearts.
Xi Zhi Cai and Xun You still believed in him. If he said Han Sui and Ma Teng could defeat Li Jue and Guo Si? If he said these two could guard the western gate of Guanzhong, then they must be able to do it.
In this case.
Then...
Xi Zhi Cai's eyes flickered, and he continued,
"East Gaze, West Gather, one east and one west, having solved the problems of Xuzhou and Guanxi, then... next, it's South Traverse and North Harmony!"
"'North Harmony' is easy to understand. It's nothing more than handling relations with Yuan Shao properly. The behemoth Yuan Shao cannot be antagonized for the time being! This... doesn't require Lu Sinong; even I can see it."
As Xi Zhi Cai said.
In Chen Guo... when Lu Yu expounded this ten-character strategic plan to Cao Cao.
"'North Harmony' was the most elaborately explained item...
It was also the one that could most directly determine Cao Cao's future and development.
No exaggeration.
Cao Cao's wings were now strong, and he could afford to be a little arrogant. Even if he deliberately acted arrogantly before the imperial court, or before various lords, there was only one thing: before Yuan Shao, Cao Cao had to keep his tail tucked, showing even greater humility than before.
This was to paralyze Yuan Shao and to buy time for development and growth.
One must know that Yuan Shao was a proud person. In his eyes, no matter how great Cao Cao's achievements, he was merely a watchdog in the southern territory of the Yuan family.
But if Cao Cao dared to show disrespect to Yuan Shao, even if You Province was about to fall, Yuan Shao might turn his attention and directly wage war on Cao Cao.
Yuan Shao was like a donkey that needed to be stroked; his actions completely depended on his mood.
Therefore, for the northern region, the word "Harmony" was adopted;
And towards Yuan Shao, Cao Cao had to adopt an even greater degree of humility.
This was the most important point!
In a few more years, when Yuan Shao defeated Gongsun Zan and looked back south, he would discover that his former subordinate had grown into a behemoth and become his formidable rival.
However, by then, it would be too late!
Cao Cao was recalling Yu'er's words.
Xi Zhi Cai's words continued.
"What about... 'South Traverse'? Which 'traverse' is this? I'm a little confused."
Saying this, Xi Zhi Cai tapped his forehead...
He felt like he was guessing riddles.
However, overall, guessing was a great pleasure. It seemed that understanding Lu Yu's thoughts, especially Lu Yu's wicked intentions of selling his enemies while they helped him count the money, was an extremely joyful thing.
Speaking of which...
Cao Cao looked at Xun You with interest again. "Gongda? Are you going to guess this time?"
"Is there any need to guess?" Xun You said with a smile. "The 'traverse' in 'South Traverse' probably means 'horizontal and vertical alliances,' right?"
As these words left his mouth...
"Horizontal and vertical alliances?" Xi Zhi Cai repeated, and then suddenly reacted. He suddenly understood. "I get it, horizontal and vertical alliances, so that's what it is."
Xi Zhi Cai directly raised his voice. "The hidden danger in the south is none other than Liu Biao of Jingzhou and Sun Ce of Jiangdong. Now, Sun Ce has suffered a crushing defeat in his campaign against Lujiang, losing over twenty thousand soldiers. This is a serious blow, and he will not venture out of Jiangdong again for the time being. In fact... internal divisions and rebellions may even arise."
"But even so, he remains a hidden danger. Lu Sinong's intention is for us to unite with Liu Biao of Jingzhou and Shi Bian of Jiaozhi to exert maximum pressure on Sun Ce and the six commanderies of Jiangdong!"
"Liu Biao and Sun Ce already have a rift, and his subordinate Huang Zu has a sworn enmity with Sun Ce, having killed his father. I believe they will be very happy to join forces with us to curb the development of Sun Ce's power in Jiangdong."
"As for Shi Bian, when Cao Sikong welcomed the Son of Heaven, Shi Bian had already submitted a memorial to the court, expressing his submission to Cao Sikong? Now, all it takes is an imperial decree, and he will surely join forces with our Cao camp and Liu Biao of Jingzhou to form a pincer attack, curbing the development of this young hegemon of Jiangdong. With internal and external troubles, haha, unless the young hegemon has three heads and six arms, how can he possibly hold his position as the overlord of Jiangdong?"
"South Traverse, a fine 'South Traverse'!"
Xi Zhi Cai spoke at length, his emotions quite stirred. He had been enlightened by Xun You and couldn't help but say so much.
As soon as these words were spoken...
"Hahahaha..."
Cao Cao and Xun You were first stunned, then both burst into laughter.
Especially Xun You, his mood transformed from gloomy to bright.
Indeed, he had a general idea of the grand strategy of "East Gaze, West Gather, South Traverse, North Harmony," and could even formulate one or two specific plans within it.
But...
To summarize the hidden dangers around the "grass belly" so concisely, as Lu Yu did.
Xun You believed he could never achieve such detail, nor could he be so intimately familiar with every lord.
In this regard, let alone Xun You, even his uncle Xun Yu was no match for Yin Lin.
Or rather...
In terms of insight and macro-strategic formulation, he and his uncle were thoroughly outshone by Yin Lin.
Of course, this was not shameful. After all, people said—Yin Lin's words leaked heavenly secrets!
This was no joke.
Alright...
Suddenly, the strategic issues that had troubled Cao Cao for a long time, and the "grass belly" problem that Xun You greatly feared, were completely resolved.
The "grass belly" transformed into a "golden belly," full of potential.
With such deployment, Cao's army had gained the greatest initiative in the situation with the least cost.
It could be called ingenious.
Wait...
Xun You and Xi Zhi Cai both realized a brand new problem.
That was, in the ten-character strategic plan, there were still two words left—"Center Stabilize"!
What hidden meanings did these words contain?
Sensing their doubts from their eyes, Cao Cao smiled and asked, "Gongda, Zhi Cai, are you not going to try to interpret 'Center Stabilize' again?"
"We humbly request Cao Sikong's guidance." Xun You cupped his hands and asked Cao Cao to answer...
Xi Zhi Cai also stroked his beard slightly, and asked doubtfully, "Cao Sikong now controls Si, Xu, Yan, and Yu provinces. Although located in the Central Plains, isn't the Central Plains already pacified? Who does Lu Sinong's 'Center Stabilize' refer to?"
Xi Zhi Cai posed the question.
Cao Cao answered without hesitation, "Wancheng! Zhang Xiu!"
After uttering these two words, Cao Cao continued, "Actually, Lu Sinong's original proposal only had the first eight characters. This last 'Center Stabilize' was added by me!"
At this point, Cao Cao's tone became much more serious.
"However, Lu Sinong's words are very true: 'How can I tolerate others snoring beside my bed?' Wancheng is only two hundred li from Xudu city, a journey of a morning to an evening. Heh heh, how can I, Cao Cao, allow such a hidden danger next to Xudu city?"
"Wancheng must be brought into my fold. As for Zhang Xiu, either surrender or die!"
As soon as these words were spoken...
Xi Zhi Cai and Xun You were both stunned.
So it was Wancheng and Zhang Xiu.
What a phrase, "How can I tolerate others snoring beside my bed?" However, they seemed to know too little about Wancheng, or rather, about Zhang Xiu.
How many soldiers did Zhang Xiu have? How many generals? Who was his strategist?
What was the city structure of Wancheng? How was the popular sentiment? Also... how did Zhang Xiu quietly occupy Wancheng?
In the past... had there not been such a figure heard of?
Even though Wancheng was so close to Xudu city, Xi Zhi Cai and Xun You were surprised to find that they had no information about Zhang Xiu.
If it weren't for Cao Sikong... or rather, Lu Sinong's phrase "How can I tolerate others snoring beside my bed?", then... wouldn't anyone have noticed this "nail"?
Precisely, this was the most dangerous!
Why... had such a nearby hidden danger gone unnoticed?
Could it be that someone... no... in Wancheng, there must be a master who deliberately made the entire Wancheng, and Zhang Xiu's army, have no sense of existence! This person is terrifying!
"Cao Sikong... do you know about Wancheng?" Xi Zhi Cai couldn't help but ask again.
"I don't know." Cao Cao shook his head...
This...
Suddenly, Xi Zhi Cai's eyes narrowed, and his expression also became grim.
In his opinion, even a powerful force like Yuan Shao was not frightening as long as they were overt opponents...
This kind of situation with no intelligence, which Cao's camp had never noticed, and even deliberately not sent spies to investigate, was the most dangerous.
This was equivalent to fighting in a completely unknown territory!
"Cao Sikong? This..." Xi Zhi Cai wanted to express something more...
Unexpectedly, Cao Cao's words preceded him, "Zhi Cai, don't get agitated. Although I don't know Wancheng, nor do I understand Zhang Xiu, someone does know! Haha, for example, our Lu Sinong knows!"
"Let alone Zhang Xiu, he even detailed the past and present of Wancheng to me! Zhang Xiu is the younger brother of the Xiliang general Zhang Ji. He has a sister-in-law named Zou, whom he respects immensely and is accustomed to listening to her words. He also has a strategist behind the scenes..."
That's right...
That night, Lu Yu recounted Zhang Xiu's rise to power to Cao Cao, and along with it... he also mentioned a "mister," who could be called an "old schemer," a "poisonous advisor," or even the greatest charmer of the Three Kingdoms—a "mister"!
In Lu Yu's opinion...
The Battle of Wancheng in history was a complete tragedy.
And to remedy this tragedy, the first step was to make Cao Cao understand his enemy.
Zhang Xiu, Jia Xu, Hu Che'er, and... that woman!
Not to mention, to Cao Cao, names like "Zhang Xiu," "Jia Xu," and "Hu Che'er" mentioned by Lu Yu were just so-so. Only when Lu Yu mentioned the woman surnamed "Zou" and her "brilliant" deeds.
Cao Cao's eyes were gleaming... a vibrant green light. He seemed to see the green grass growing on the head of the deceased Zhang Ji.
The deeds of this woman were not simple...
She could make her nephew Zhang Xiu highly respectful...
She could make her nephew Zhang Xiu forge an alliance with Liu Biao, the murderer of her husband, and coexist peacefully and without incident!
This woman, Madam Zou, how could she be short of stories?
This woman... also made Cao Cao want to shout across the void—I love it, I love it!
The most terrifying thing was that this woman fit all of Cao Cao's fantasies about a "that kind of" partner—a married woman, widowed, beautiful, and intelligent.
Wasn't this tailor-made for him, Cao Cao?
The saying—how can I tolerate others snoring beside my bed...
And the saying—if there's a beauty beside my bed, how can I not sleep?
This is very Cao Cao!
...
...