During the Three Kingdoms period, heroes competed and heroes emerged. In this great drama of power struggle, Cao Cao relied on his extraordinary resourcefulness and courage to fight his way out of the encirclement, and finally dominated the world. However, while he is taking every step of the way, there are still some potential threats that worry him. This is the existence of the warlords of Liangzhou, especially Guo Yan and Li Wei, who once controlled the Chang'an court. If these two powerful military forces colluded with other forces, it would cause Cao Cao great trouble. So, what fate did they end up with?
During the Three Kingdoms period, the government was chaotic, and heroes from all walks of life coveted that piece of fat. At this time, although Cao Cao's ambitions had been exposed, he also knew that his own strength was far from enough, and once someone followed the example of Emperor Xian of Han and united with the warlords of Xiliang, then all his efforts would be in vain.
The old business that he relied on to make contributions was in the Yanzhou area at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and Cao Cao knew the situation in the Yanyu area well. But even this piece of land that he has worked hard for is threatened by Yuan Shao from the neighboring province all the time. Once Yuan's army marched from Shandong and took the Guanzhong region, it was equivalent to controlling five-sixths of the territory of the world. When the time comes, Cao Cao, who is fighting alone, will not escape defeat even if he is extremely vicious.
Judging from the experience of previous years, Cao Cao relied on the support of Yuan's army to defeat the rebellious Lu Bu and his gang. Now it seems that the Yuan army is too much like "Saiong lost his horse, and he knew the blessings and misfortunes". If you want to be ashamed, it is best to start by eliminating your worries.
Fortunately, the scheming Cao Cao already has a way to deal with it. Following the advice of his advisor Xun Yu, Cao Cao decided to appease Ma Chao and Han Sui, the two generals who were most likely to defect, and use their hands to curb the movements of the other military lords in Guanzhong.
These two men have a reputation for being brave and good at fighting, and now they have a very high reputation in the Guanzhong area, and it is not even a problem to gather people's strength. Once they listen to the call of Ma Chao and Han Sui, then all the generals in Guanzhong will be separated from Germany one after another.
How can we win over these two powerful generals? Cao Cao was cunning and cunning, and immediately thought of inviting the prestigious Zhong Xuan to lobby. This person not only advocated Cao Cao to have the Han family in mind and take the overall situation into account, but also worked in the Chang'an Imperial Court, and knew all the people and horses on the local hills. More importantly, he is loyal to the Han family, and he will be able to win the trust of Ma Chao and others.
Without further ado, Cao Cao ordered Zhong Xuan to ride into the pass alone, and recruited Ma Chao and Han Sui in the name of the imperial court. Zhong Xuan acted in a good way, skillfully used discordant tactics, and finally persuaded the two to join Cao Ying. In exchange, Ma Chao and Han Sui each sent a son to Xudu as a hostage. It seems that Cao Cao's power is gradually expanding.
That being said, apparent submission does not necessarily mean true surrender. Ma Chao and others temporarily belonged to Cao, which was more based on the weight of the Han family. After all, after wandering for a long time, it is undoubtedly their wish to regain the recognition of the imperial court. In addition, Ma Weiduan and others still had concerns about Yuan and Cao's two families, so they did not dominate one side, preferring to have power and obey Cao Cao's rule.
With this temporary force, Cao Cao finally cleared the worries from Guanzhong and could free up his hands to deal with Yuan Shao. Sure enough, in the subsequent battle of Guandu, although Ma Chao and others did not directly help in the battle, they also used the material support of 2,000 good horses as an indirect force, which became the key to the Guandu Division.
Zhong Xiang also completed another important task: building Tongguan to curb the spillover of Liangzhou's armed forces. Previously, Cao Cao had handed over the important town of Tongguan to Duan Xuan, one of the few loyal ministers of the Han dynasty in the Liang army, for defense. Duan Xuan is known for his loyalty, and he once protected Emperor Xian in Huayin, which can be described as loyal. He spared no effort this time, and he finally did his part.
Although Cao Cao did not directly exterminate Guo Yan and Li Dao and others, he used his wits and stratagem to skillfully defuse the threat posed by this murderous force. He psychologically co-opted Ma Chao and Han Sui, two pawns, and won their trust with the majesty of the imperial court; In terms of strength, it temporarily accommodated Wei Duan and other forces that did not dominate one side to avoid the emergence of new opponents; Strategically built Tongguan to cut off the possibility of the Liangzhou warlords crossing eastward.
Although Cao Cao's careful layout failed to completely clear his concerns, they had already won him a foothold in Guanzhong and a foundation for confronting Yuan Shao. Today, Cao Cao has entered a new stage of attacking his heart like iron, and the scenes of intrigue will continue to be staged in the future. Let's wait and see how this thrilling drama ends in the troubled times!