This…
Lu Yu pondered for a moment, then spoke, "Lord Cao, I don't really have many opinions. I only know that the vengeance for a father's death is irreconcilable. Since Tao Qian has already made his move, yet Lord Cao hesitates, what will people say? Won't Lord Cao become a coward?
"The Han Dynasty governs the realm with 'filial piety.' If Lord Cao disregards his father's revenge, how will the world comment on Lord Cao? How will the imperial court view Lord Cao? Will those talented individuals still come to pledge allegiance to Lord Cao?
"If so, let alone others, even I, if I were in Lord Cao's camp, would feel ashamed and fear the gaze of the world! In truth, conquering Xuzhou is not a matter of choice… Xuzhou must be fought for, whether we want to or not, and especially Tao Qian, he must be executed!"
*Hoo…*
Cao Cao's eyes darted.
Lu Yu wasn't just arguing with Xi Zhicai; he was pushing Cao Cao into a corner where he "had to act."
Of course, Lu Yu hadn't mentioned the advantages of taking Xuzhou.
At this moment, Xun Yu slowly stood up. "Besides the matter of revenge that Young Master Lu Yu mentioned, Xuzhou is abundant in population and its people are prosperous. If it can be conquered, it will provide Lord with another granary! Tao Qian's poor judgment in appointing people and his violation of righteousness are self-inflicted destruction! If Lord Cao does not attack, then it is Lord Cao who would be violating righteousness and human ethics, earning the world's contempt!"
Cao Cao nodded…
Indeed, the revenge mentioned by Lu Yu was one aspect, the so-called righteousness, while the conquest of Xuzhou and making it his granary was what made Cao Cao's mouth water even more.
Besides grave robbing, Cao Cao also needed some legitimate means to acquire wealth.
Cao Cao was genuinely troubled.
Xuzhou, he wanted to attack, but had too many concerns;
If the main army attacked with full force, Yanzhou would surely be left vulnerable. But if he only brought half the troops, he wouldn't have a guaranteed victory!
It was truly a case of wanting both fish and bear's paw, and for a time, Cao Cao found himself in a dilemma.
At this moment… a man in the yamen frowned deeply.
Xi Zhicai, yes, it was none other than this trusted strategist and libationer appointed by Cao Cao – Xi Zhicai.
He flicked his long sleeves. "Lord Wenruo and this young gentleman are speaking in circles. Everyone knows that Xuzhou is a treasure trove. Which of the lords in the realm wouldn't want to attack it? But the crucial issue now is not whether we want to, but whether we can!"
As he spoke, Xi Zhicai's tone became even more serious. "Tell me, if the main army marches towards Xuzhou, and someone launches a surprise attack on Yanzhou, what then? What if the army is attacked from both front and back?"
What to do?
Nothing to be done…
Lu Yu was about to speak, utterly exasperated, realizing he couldn't escape the fate of arguing with Xi Zhicai.
Unexpectedly, before he could speak, Cao Cao preempted him. "Yesterday, I asked Commander Lu about this problem. Commander Lu's opinion is that Liu Biao and Yuan Shu are about to engage in war in Nanyang, and Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao will be in a life-and-death struggle in the north. With this arrangement, no one will be able to hinder our conquest of Xuzhou!"
*Hiss…*
Xi Zhicai was first startled, then he laughed, his laughter exceptionally brilliant.
Was this Lu Yu a jester sent by a monkey? He just said "they will fight" and they "will fight"? Was he… the master of the world, the supreme ruler of this chaotic era? Able to rally everyone with a single call?
*Heh heh…* Xi Zhicai truly "heh heh"-ed.
"I do not know what abilities this Commander Lu possesses to make Lord and everyone else believe in him so strongly… but, I believe that Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao in the north have been in a truce for months, and Yuan Shu and Liu Biao in the south have been treating each other with respect. Why would war erupt? Could it be that it's because Lord is going to attack Xuzhou? And they will also fight accordingly?"
Still sticking to his guns!
Xi Zhicai was like this; as long as he believed something to be correct, he would persuade Cao Cao, even if he couldn't persuade him, he would persuade, and persuade relentlessly!
Uh… this made Lu Yu feel a bit awkward… he scratched his head.
How could such an obstinate person like Xi Zhicai understand?
It was truly because of Xuzhou, this powder keg, that the chaos in the world had erupted…
To put it bluntly, all the lords were watching as Old Cao was about to fight, and if they didn't fight, they felt restless, like they were losing out.
But if they attacked Xuzhou, or launched a surprise attack on Yanzhou, they were afraid of someone stabbing them in the back and raiding their homes!
Furthermore, when Old Cao fought with Tao Qian, all the lords felt that their rear was stable, with no worries about the rear!
One must know that in this chaotic world, these lords were threats to Old Cao, and at the same time, Old Cao was also a threat to them!
However… it was truly difficult for Lu Yu to explain. No matter how he reasoned, it seemed impossible to reach such a conclusion.
But just then…
"Report…" came a notification, and an armored soldier rushed into the main tent. "Urgent dispatches have arrived from Jingzhou, Nanyang, Jizhou, and Youzhou…"
In fact, the urgent dispatches had arrived last night. Yanzhou harbored spies from various factions, and other prefectures and counties also harbored Cao Cao's spies. They often used an ancient communication method – carrier pigeons – to send intelligence back.
The so-called carrier pigeon communication didn't mean one pigeon flying such a long distance. Instead, it would fly to a specific location, usually an inn or a tavern, where a contact person would exchange the pigeon and continue the transmission! Each pigeon only flew a short distance… but the speed of the entire carrier pigeon communication was extremely fast!
Because of this, any stirring of wind and grass in various places could be conveyed to Cao Cao in as little as three to five days.
And today, there were carrier pigeons from four places… this was quite rare in Yanzhou!
"Read them, read them directly!"
Cao Cao commanded…
The armored soldier took out silk handkerchiefs, the writing on them very small. The soldier glanced at the silk handkerchiefs before his eyes, then began to read aloud, "Battle report from Youzhou, Gongsun Zan leads thirty thousand troops to engage Yuan Shao at the 'Jie Ma Water'!"
"Battle report from Jizhou, Yuan Shao has dispatched one hundred thousand troops to conquer Youzhou and has set up camp at 'Jie Ma Water'… facing off against Gongsun Zan's army!"
"Battle report from Jingzhou, Liu Biao has dispatched sixty thousand troops to march on Nanyang. Battle report from Nanyang, Yuan Shu has sent five armies to counter Liu Biao!"
*Boom… rumble!*
The armored soldier's voice was not loud, but as these pieces of intelligence were read out, the entire yamen fell silent in an instant, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.
Cao Cao's pupils widened immensely, and his heart tightened sharply, followed by… relief, a relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
His predictions were correct. Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan, Liu Biao and Yuan Shu were on the brink of war… Yu'er's predictions this time were entirely accurate.
Hahaha… hahahaha…
Instantly, Cao Cao couldn't help but want to burst out laughing.
At the same time, Xun Yu, Xun You, Xi Zhicai, and Mao Jie's expressions all froze…
Especially Xi Zhicai, his face seemed to have solidified in an instant, like a fossil preserved in amber!
Vaguely, he felt it was incredible…
Yet, vaguely, he also felt a pain in his chest… Gradually, not just his chest, he felt his face hurting, as if he had been slapped hard, not only in pain but also deeply embarrassed!
Without warning, without any prior indication… this Lu Yu… how could he predict the wars in the north and the south?
This… what kind of incredible insight and judgment of the situation did this require?
*Hoo… hoo…*
Xi Zhicai exhaled deeply, standing there blankly, his eyes unfocused!
He considered himself a master of strategy, meticulous in his planning, yet… he hadn't even foreseen the wars in the north and south. In this regard, he had lost, completely, utterly lost to this young gentleman of barely ten years!
This was a tremendous blow to the usually self-assured Xi Zhicai!
…
"Heaven aids Lord Cao, Heaven aids Lord Cao…"
Awakening from their astonishment, Xun Yu and Xun You leaped up, their brows displaying four characters – exultation and joy!
A golden opportunity, wasn't this precisely the golden opportunity they had been searching for and waiting for?
The prediction was correct, "Yin Lin" had predicted everything correctly!
The army's advance into Xuzhou was now unimpeded…
With the capture of Xuzhou, Cao Cao would have the capital to compete with the great lords, and the opportunity to fulfill the dream of the talented scholars of Yingchuan to revive the Han Dynasty!
Thinking of this, Xun Yu and Xun You could not hide their excitement.
Indeed, you could only question Lu Yu's words temporarily, but… the words of "Yin Lin" were like revealing heavenly secrets, never to be doubted.
While in Cao Cao's camp, they, the scholars of Yingchuan, could always trust "Yin Lin."
Similarly, their decision to pledge allegiance to Cao Cao was the right one…
He who obtains Yin Lin obtains the world; the Yue Dan Ping indeed did not deceive me!
…
…