RPAGF Chapter 96: He's not the enemy, that's the best outcome.
Chapter 96: He's not the enemy, that's the best outcome.
As Guo Jia spoke, everyone fell into deep thought...
Everyone knows Li Zhao is very important; the key is how to resolve the situation.
If it weren't for his unpredictable strength, there wouldn't be any trouble.
"Grain..." Guo Jia stroked his beard and said thoughtfully.
"Grain?" Cao Cao raised his eyebrows.
"My lord, please consider this: the strength Li Zhao has demonstrated, especially regarding grain, completely defies normal logic!"
"I have personally visited Linzi, and the demeanor of the people there is not an act!"
"They truly have no worries about food and drink, but the surrounding land is simply insufficient to provide for them to this extent..."
Guo Jia explained word by word, focusing on describing the land conditions around Linzi.
All along...
They all knew that Li Zhao possessed a large amount of grain.
Even this bastard used the grain he had to disrupt prices, causing them immense suffering.
However, no one has investigated why this happened or how Li Zhao managed to do it.
All around was quiet, and the many strategists frowned. If they thought about the problem in depth, there were too many unreasonable aspects.
First of all.
Li Zhao spared no effort in taking in so many refugees and made use of the land around Linzi, which seemed quite normal.
They reclaimed wasteland and cultivated grain to feed so many people!
But what did he use from the beginning?
Not to mention, he also maintained a large army under his command!
What do these people eat?
In this era, having food was tantamount to having control of an army.
It's almost impossible to achieve that level of skill!
Cao Cao's fingers tapped lightly on the table, making a rhythmic sound.
Actually.
The incident of his confrontation with Lü Bu reveals Li Zhao's unfathomable nature.
Even if he has ulterior motives, that's the truth, and we have no way of knowing for now!
"How should we break this situation?" Cao Cao asked after a moment of silence.
"I say all this not so that my lord may investigate thoroughly, but quite the opposite, to disregard everything that exists!"
Guo Jia sighed, his voice tinged with helplessness.
He wouldn't have come up with such an idea if there were any other way.
"What do you mean?" Cheng Yu asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Li Zhao's current strength is not enough to make him our enemy."
"Judging from his behavior, he shouldn't be on Yuan Shao's side, so as long as he doesn't interfere, that's the best outcome for us!"
Guo Jia paced slowly and continued, "Right now, Yuan Shao is trying every possible means to win him over or threaten him!"
"Because of the matter concerning Yan Liang and Wen Chou, the two are now very likely to be on opposing sides!"
"In this situation, we absolutely cannot take the initiative to win him over. Instead, we should stay away as much as possible and send the signal that as long as we don't get involved, we won't care about anything."
"Only in this way will we have a good chance of winning against Yuan Shao!"
There were some things he didn't say explicitly, because even if he did, probably not many people would believe him.
But he believed Li Zhao was a smart man, and that Qingzhou needed time for stable development.
Then just give him what he wants and stay out of it!
By this time, everyone understood what he meant.
Li Zhao, a factor capable of changing the course of events, would increase their chances of winning the confrontation with Yuan Shao if he didn't get involved.
Cao Cao's eyes flickered, but he did not immediately express his opinion.
Xun Yu, however, frowned and said with great concern, "That's true in theory..."
"Have you ever considered that when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits? How can you guarantee that he can truly remain uninvolved?"
"What if something unexpected happens or we find ourselves in danger during our confrontation with Yuan Shao, and he intervenes?"
"The initiative is not in our hands; that's the real danger..."
Whether Li Zhao wants to take action against them is one thing, the key is that he has the ability to do so.
"It's very simple..." Guo Jia said softly.
"Give him an official position in the imperial court, make him a Grand General. Once he accepts, he will never dare to attack us!"
"He even left open the possibility that he might turn against Yuan Shao should the situation change!"
Upon hearing this, Cao Cao, who had remained silent until now, finally reacted.
He slowly stood up, walked to Guo Jia, and said, "With Fengxiao here, I feel much more at ease!"
"What if we do it this way, but he doesn't accept it?"
"Please rest assured, my lord, he will definitely accept it!"
……
Linzi.
Prime Minister's Mansion.
"General?" Xu Shu looked at the imperial edict placed not far away and asked with some confusion.
"This must be another of Cao Cao's tactics; he's always wanted to pull our lord into the court."
"We've never accepted this before, so naturally we don't need to this time either!"
"No..." Liu Bei rarely spoke up, "Your lord has refused the court's appointments time and time again, which has already given others grounds for criticism."
"Yuan Shao is now trying every means to attack us, and this is the best opportunity."
"If our lord accepts the court's appointment, then Yuan Shao will not dare to act recklessly!"
This time, Xu Shu did not refute!
Because he knew very well that what Liu Bei said was true.
Cao Cao's greatest shrewdness lay in the fact that he did everything in the name of the imperial court.
In this world today, no one dares to openly oppose the imperial court.
The Han Dynasty court may be powerless, but this will give other people with ulterior motives a legitimate reason.
"You're all right, but Cao Cao's real purpose is to keep us out of it!" Li Zhao held a pen in his hand and gently tugged at it.
"If I accept the court's appointment, then it's impossible for me to take action against him."
"At least in his confrontation with Yuan Shao, he had to consider the consequences before he could take action."
"At the same time, this is also to test our attitude. Since he's showing goodwill, why not accept it?"
He understood Cao Cao's true intentions as soon as the edict arrived.
This is exactly what I need most; no matter how much they fight over it, I need to focus on developing steadily first.
If the opportunity arises, they might even expand their territory.
As for whether to seize power from Cao Cao or Yuan Shao, the initiative is always in one's own hands.
Even... you can choose actively!
Chen Gong rubbed his fingers together. "My lord, in this way, we might truly be on the opposite side of Yuan Shao, which is also the outcome Cao Cao hopes to see!"
"No, I'll give him a reason he can't refuse!"
"..."
A letter written by Li Zhao himself was quickly sent from Linzi to Jizhou at top speed.
After all that groundwork, it's time for it to take effect.
The purpose of facilitating Guan Yu's slaying of Yan Liang and Wen Chou was to induce Cao Cao and Yuan Shao to fight each other ahead of time.
Deep down, what Li Zhao really wanted was... Ji Province and Bing Province!
……