"Lord, I'm so happy!" Luoyang, General's Mansion.

As soon as Chen Mo came to the hall, he saw that the four great counselors Li Ru, Xu Shu, Xun You, and Yang Xiu had gathered together. Yang Xiu stood up and clasped his fists.

"Why, the Yuan brothers started a war?" Chen Mo sat down and asked with a smile.

"My lord, I admire your ingenuity and ingenuity." Yang Xiu nodded.

Chen Mo naturally knew about this news first. It was impossible for everyone under his command to know about such a big matter. He was the last one to know about it. However, he still had a surprised look on his face and said: "It's better than I expected."

quick."

In fact, Chen Mo was indeed a little surprised when he got the news. Xu You left. He thought that the two brothers had to at least strategize for a while. Who knew that it was less than half a month and winter had just entered, and the two brothers were already fighting.

"But the fact is that Yuan Tan already fought with Yuan Shang's general Gao Lan in the Wei County area three days ago." Yang Xiu said with a smile.

"Let's talk about Jizhou's deployment." Chen Mo nodded and looked at Xu Shu.

Xu Shu nodded, stood up and ordered the guards to hang up a topographic map of Jizhou so that everyone could see it. This topographic map of Jizhou was based on the results of careful investigation over the years. Naturally, it could not be as detailed as the map Xu You presented to Cao Cao.

, but generally speaking, the distribution of cities, mountains and rivers is basically consistent.

"Although Yuan Shang is now at war with Yuan Tan, he is quite cautious in his deployment. Zhang He led his troops to station in Muye and Chaoge area to prevent our army from entering from Hanoi. Veteran general Han Qiong stationed in Zhongshan to guard against Taishi

General and the Black Mountain Army, don't look at this man who is nearly fifty years old. However, this man is known as the old gun king. In the past, he guarded Youzhou under Yuan Shao. He was powerful in the northern part of the country and suppressed Liaodong with his guns. Regardless of his martial arts and military skills, he is still in the Four Court Pillars.

Above, Han Meng is his nephew. Although he has no true biography, he is also a rare strong general. In addition to this, there is another person who needs attention. This person's name is called Lian Zhao. He is brave, strategic, and decisive in his actions. Now

Taking over from Han Qiong and stationed in Liaodong to frighten the Gongsun family, this person’s abilities are no longer inferior to those of the Four Court Pillars."

The reason why Yuan Shang's attack on Yuan Tan this time was not as strong as Yuan Tan's was because Yuan Shang still had to worry about the four generals, Zhang He and Han Qiong. He called on these generals to have their own tasks, to guard the four directions for him, which was to prevent Cao Cao and Chen Mo from attacking.

Xu Shu introduced: "These four people are generals under Yuan Shang and should not be underestimated. But in addition, there are also generals Jiang Yiqu and Sui Yuanjin, who are also quite prestigious. These two are stationed in Liyang and Puyang to guard against Cao Cao, and Gao

Qian is Yuan Shao's nephew. He is currently stationed in Yecheng and can be regarded as a close confidant of Yuan Shang."

"In other words, Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan are now fighting, but in fact, Yuan Shang only sent Gao Lan to send troops and did not use his full strength?" Yang Xiu said with some surprise.

"That's it. Yuan Shang, this son, is quite like a father and can take care of the overall situation. From this point of view, he is indeed more suitable to be the leader of Jizhou than his brother Yuan Tan." Xu Shu nodded, Yuan Shang was so worried.

Thorough, there are basically no loopholes. Even if they are fighting Yuan Tan now, it will not be easy for Chen Mo and Cao Cao to invade Jizhou, but in this way, they will not have many troops to put down Yuan Tan.

"More importantly, according to detailed reports of our army's operations in the Central Plains, Cao Cao had already begun to mobilize troops to Juancheng and Qingqiu areas half a month ago. There is no news yet about Qingzhou area, but I think there will be arrangements in the future," Xu Shujian said.

Everyone had no doubts and continued.

"Cao Cao's reaction was expected." Xun You said with a smile: "However, I think that Cao Cao will not mobilize troops in Qingzhou at this time, but will gather troops and even join forces with Yuan Tan to attack Yuan Shang, and even Jiang Yiqu and Sui Yuan will advance

The defense line is useless, Cao Cao may attack Jizhou directly through Yuan Tan."

Chen Mo glanced at Xun You, nodded and said, "Yes, Yuan Tan is brave but has no plans. Cao Cao only needs to convince his counselors to convince Yuan Tan."

The counselors under Yuan Tan are basically Yingchuan nobles. Now that the two sons of the Yuan family have turned against each other and are attacking each other, the Yuan family has lost the chance to compete with Chen Mo and Cao Cao. They can defect or even persuade Yuan Tan to surrender to Cao Cao. These people can do it.

.

What's more, with Xu You as a lobbyist, Cao Cao already has an advantage in this regard.

"Lord, if this happens, wouldn't our army have lost the opportunity?" Yang Xiu frowned and said, Cao Cao had Xu You's help, and he could even join forces with Yuan Tan, and he could easily enter Jizhou, but on their side, they had to break through many obstacles.

Only by defending can we attack. Even if we finally occupy some cities, we may not be able to compete with Cao Cao in terms of military strength, and we will already be at a disadvantage.

"That's not necessarily the case." Chen Mo said with a smile: "First of all, since we have lost the first move, there is no rush to use troops. Moreover, Cao Cao's goal is Jizhou, but our goal is only Yecheng."

"Yecheng?" Everyone looked at the map and wondered what Chen Mo meant by this.

"Yecheng is an important place in Jizhou. It is not only the seat of the imperial court, but more importantly, if this place is occupied by our army, even if Cao Cao takes Hejian and other places, our army can send troops to block his return path." Chen Mo explained with a smile.

.

Everyone's eyes lit up when they heard this. If Cao Cao did not retreat, he might be cut off by Chen Mo at any time. At the same time, Chen Mo's troops could also send troops from the Xingyang area to attack Yanyu. In this way, this

The situation then developed in Chen Mo's favor.

"Lord, you want to form an alliance with Yuan Shang?" Everyone here was not stupid, and they quickly understood Chen Mo's intention. Since he couldn't strike first, he should accumulate strength, and if he didn't take action, Cao Cao's accumulated advantages would be wiped out in an instant.

"It's not an alliance, it's just not attacking for the time being." Chen Mo shook his head. There was no point in forming an alliance at this time. With Yuan Shang's personality, he should be on guard when the time comes. If the time comes, it would be easy for the other party to have the heart of a trapped beast.

It's better to ignore it for now, make plans secretly, instigate the opposing generals, and wait until the critical moment to strike a fatal blow.

"Lord." Xu Shu frowned and said, "Cao Cao has Xu You to serve. Since we can see these things, how could Xu You not know?"

"Yes, I am talking about a smooth situation. It is very likely that Cao Cao will go to Yecheng first and then make plans later. However, this is more to my liking, so we will have a showdown in Yecheng!" Chen Mo said with a smile.

No matter how many cities are conquered, the troops will only be divided, so the most important thing is Ye City. Chen Mo estimates that his brother will never divide his troops to attack those insignificant cities. Once Yuan Shang is defeated, he will probably directly attack Ye City.

City, and this time, what will determine the general trend of the Central Plains in the next ten years, and even the future direction of the entire Central Plains, is Chen Moqiang or Cao Cao. Therefore, neither Chen Mo nor Cao Cao will give up in this battle.

"Passed my military order, I transferred Yu Sheng to the rank of Sili Xiaowei, governor of Heluo defense, Cui Geng to garrison in Xingyang, Bao Geng to garrison in Chenggao, Shi Geng to garrison in Yique, Bai Piao, and Han Kai to serve as a partial general, and he was assigned to serve under Yu Sheng.

Order Wu Yi to go to Hanoi to assemble troops and horses. Gao Shun, Xu Huang, Ma Chao, Zhang Ji, Zhang Xiu, and Pang De will lead their troops to assemble in Hanoi. I will be on the front line in person for this battle!"

"Here!" Everyone looked solemn and bowed to Chen Mo.

Early the next morning, Chen Mo brought his ministers to court. Liu Neng said as usual: "If you have anything to do, please report to me. If you have nothing to do, please leave the court."

"Your Majesty!" Chen Mo took a step forward, bowed to Liu Neng and said, "I have something important to do."

"Oh?" Liu Neng quickly sat upright, looked at Chen Mo and said, "I wonder what's wrong, General?"

"Back to Your Majesty, the brothers Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan of Jizhou are fighting. Chaos has arisen in Hebei. I request you to lead an army to recover the land in Hebei. I hope your Majesty will give you permission." Chen Mo said with a salute.

"General, are you sure?" Liu Neng looked at Chen Mo and asked.

Although Chen Mo has the power to mobilize the world's troops, this time is different from the past. Chen Mo's this time is Liu Neng's first large-scale campaign since he succeeded to the throne. If it fails, Liu Neng will worry that his throne will not be preserved. Although Chen Mo is a

He was a puppet, but Chen Mo had never treated him badly. If he lost the throne and went back to the old days, Liu Nengke would not want to.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. The two sons of the Yuan family are not worried about the current turmoil in Jizhou." Chen Mo said with a smile. There is no guarantee of victory in the war, but at this time in the court, Chen Mo naturally cannot say dejected words.

"General." After hearing this, Yang Biao came out of the queue, frowned and saluted Chen Mo: "There is civil strife in Jizhou, and Cao Mengde in the Central Plains will probably not miss this opportunity. If Cao Mengde comes to attack Luoyang, the general will go out with a large army.

How should the imperial court be guarded?"

"Cao Mengde has been planning this battle against Jizhou for a long time, and he has recently mobilized troops to the Dongjun area. I will station troops in Hanoi. If Cao Mengde sends troops to Jizhou, I will fight with him in Jizhou. If he dares to invade our borders,

I will send troops to fight back, and I have also ordered Yu to be promoted to the rank of Sili Xiaowei. This person is good at guarding, and with him here, Luoyang will be as stable as Mount Tai." Chen Mo said with a smile.

"In this case, doesn't the general miss the opportunity?" Yang Biao frowned.

"In this battle in Jizhou, the three princes are afraid that there will be hundreds of thousands of troops. A temporary advantage cannot determine the outcome." Chen Mo said with a smile.

"So, if the general is not here, who can assist me in presiding over the government?" Liu Neng said with a troubled look.

When the ministers heard this, they all fell silent and looked at Chen Mo. This topic was quite sensitive, and if you were not careful, you might make Chen Mo unhappy.

"I have made arrangements. The minister ordered Li Ru to make decisions on the affairs of the court. In addition, the court captain Man Chong can restrain the ministers. With these two people here, the peace and tranquility of the court can be guaranteed." Chen Mo bowed slightly and said calmly.

When he leads an army to go on an expedition, he naturally needs someone who is trustworthy and capable enough to guard the rear for him. Li Ru and Man Chong, one can preside over the affairs of the court and the other can intimidate the officials, plus the person in charge of military affairs in Luoyang,

They are all Chen Mo's generals. With these people here, it will be natural to ensure that nothing happens in the court.

Liu Neng's eyes flashed with disappointment, but the smile on his face did not change at all. He said with a pleased expression: "Now that the general has made arrangements, I feel relieved. I wish the general a great victory this time."

, to promote the prestige of our dynasty!"
Chapter completed!