Chương 330: Determining the Candidates

Everyone nodded in agreement, and no one objected.

Cao Ren pointed to the territory of Yanzhou on the map and said, "Mengde, Yanzhou is our base, it's so close. We must invite all the governors and prefects here to stabilize our rear and form a siege around Luoyang."

"Exactly."

Cao Cao's brush fell in succession, drawing circle after circle on the map:

"Zhang Miao, the Prefect of Chenliu, is my closest friend. I was able to raise an army in Chenliu entirely because of his protection. He has always been loyal and righteous, and he has long hated Dong Zhuo's tyranny to the bone. If I invite him, he will surely respond with the strength of the entire prefecture."

Point the charcoal pencil slightly south:

"And his younger brother, Zhang Chao, the Prefect of Guangling, is also a man of courage and integrity. He is of one mind with Meng Zhuo and will surely come along."

The pen moves on to the next path:

"Qiao Mao, the governor of Dongjun, has a reputation for integrity and has long been dissatisfied with Dong Zhuo. He had previously contacted various prefectures and counties in secret, harboring rebellious intentions against Dong Zhuo. He would have accepted any invitation."

"Yuan Yi, the Prefect of Shanyang, is the cousin of the Yuan brothers. He is highly talented and has a great reputation among the gentry in Yanzhou. Inviting him will not only appease the gentry in Yanzhou, but also win back the hearts of the Yuan family."

"There is also Kong Zhou, the governor of Yu Province, a renowned scholar of pure conversation, whose word carries immense weight among the scholars of Yu Province. If we invite him to join the alliance, all the upright scholars in the land will recognize us as a righteous army dedicated to restoring the Han Dynasty."

"Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, is also a member of the Han imperial family. He is stationed in the heart of Yanzhou. Inviting him will not only demonstrate our original intention to protect the Han dynasty, but also stabilize our core territory in the Central Plains."

"Wang Kuang, the governor of Hanoi, is known for his chivalry. He commands a strong army stationed in Hanoi, directly facing the northern front of Luoyang. Inviting him would allow us to encircle Dong Zhuo's retreat route from the north."

He finished speaking in one breath, and then circled most of the Central Plains on the map with charcoal.

The people inside the tent nodded in agreement, as if they could already see the grand scene of various lords gathering at Suanzao.

Wei Zi stroked his beard and added, "There's also Bao Xin, the Chancellor of Jibei. This man has great ambitions from a young age and has keen insight. He was on good terms with Mengde back in Luoyang. He saw through Yuan Shao's superficiality but highly regarded Mengde. His troops are elite, and he's someone who can fight Dong Zhuo to the death. We absolutely cannot overlook him."

"Zixu's reminder is correct." Cao Cao nodded with a smile, and placed his pen heavily on the location of Jibei.

"Yuncheng is a true righteous man, and he will surely be of one heart and one mind with us."

Xiahou Yuan couldn't contain himself and leaned forward, saying, "Mengde, after saying so much, we should at least invite a few capable fighters, right? We can't just have a bunch of talkers; otherwise, no one will dare to confront Dong Zhuo head-on!"

"Of course, it's indispensable."

A glint flashed in Cao Cao's eyes, and he swiftly swung his brush southward, landing it on the territory of Changsha Commandery:

"Sun Jian, the Prefect of Changsha, was a fierce tiger of Jiangdong!"

His voice carried a hint of excitement as he said:

"Back when we quelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he led from the front, fearless and valiant. His Jiangdong troops were battle-hardened elites, among the few generals in the land capable of directly confronting the Xiliang cavalry. Inviting him to be our vanguard will surely allow us to capture enemy generals and flags, crushing the traitor Dong Zhuo's momentum!"

"Excellent!" Xiahou Yuan immediately exclaimed.

"I know Sun Jian; he's a hero! With him here, we won't have to worry about who can fight the Xiliang troops!"

Cao Cao's pen continued its northward and westward journey, falling in succession:

"Zhu Jun, also known as Zhu Gongwei, was the Governor of Henan and General of the Right Chariots and Cavalry. He enjoyed extremely high prestige in the army and the court, and his disciples and former officials were all over the country. He was always loyal to the Han Dynasty and deeply hated Dong Zhuo's brutal usurpation of power. Inviting him would put pressure on Dong Zhuo."

"Ma Teng, also known as Ma Shoucheng, is the governor of Xiliang. His Xiliang cavalry is incredibly fierce and has a long-standing grudge against Dong Zhuo. Inviting him would allow us to contain Dong Zhuo from the west, leaving him vulnerable to attacks from both sides."

"Zhang Yang, also known as Zhang Zhishu, is the governor of Shangdang. He commands a strong army in Bingzhou and has stationed troops in Shangdang. He has always been on good terms with Yuan Shao and will surely respond."

"There is also Han Sui, Han Wenyue, a top warlord in Liangzhou who was on par with Ma Teng. He commanded tens of thousands of highly capable Xiliang cavalry and enjoyed great prestige in Xiliang."

"Dong Zhuo and Han Sui had a long-standing feud, and Han Sui had always been dissatisfied with Dong Zhuo's monopolization of power. Inviting him would only add fuel to the fire from the west."

Cao Ren gazed at the densely packed names on the map and pondered, "Mengde, these men are either renowned, have troops, or have provisions; that's enough to maintain the situation. Is there anyone else to add?"

Cao Cao put down his pen, glanced at the map, and slowly said:

"There are two more people we must invite."

He picked up the charcoal pencil and placed it on the boundary of Beihai County, saying:

"Kong Rong, the Prefect of Beihai, is a 20th-generation descendant of Confucius. He is a renowned scholar of integrity and loyalty to the Han Dynasty throughout his life. Inviting him to join the alliance, even if he doesn't bring a single soldier, his pen is worth more than 100, 000 soldiers. It will let the whole world know that our righteous act is in accordance with Heaven and the people, and is perfectly justified."

The brush moved again, landing on the boundary of Xuzhou:

"There is also Tao Qian, the governor of Xuzhou, who is stationed in Xuzhou. The people are prosperous and the army is well-equipped. He has a good reputation throughout the country. Even if he is unwilling to bring his troops here in person, as long as he responds to the proclamation and provides food and supplies, he will be of great help to us and will make our reputation spread throughout the Jianghuai region."

Cao Hong took out his pen, wrote everything down, counted it, and looked up to say:

"Mengde, if we count them, excluding Liu Ce, the King of Yan, there are a total of eighteen prefectural governors and prefects. Adding ourselves, that makes nineteen!"

Looking at the determined faces under the candlelight in the tent, and then at the vast territory marked on the map, Cao Cao felt a surge of pride.

He knew that among these people were patriots who genuinely wanted to serve their country, ambitious opportunists who wanted to take advantage of the chaos, and those who were hesitant and unwilling to move forward.

But that's not important.

The important thing is that as long as this forged edict is issued, even if only half of these eighteen forces respond, the momentum to overthrow Dong Zhuo will be established.

Even with hundreds of thousands of troops at his disposal, Dong Zhuo could not quell the wrath of the entire nation.

The list is finalized.

Cao Cao turned and walked to the desk, picked up a wolf-hair brush dipped in thick ink, and said with piercing eyes:

"I will personally write this proclamation denouncing Dong Zhuo. I will proclaim Dong Zhuo's numerous crimes to the world, and let all Han officials know that the Emperor has issued a secret edict, and all those with a loyal and righteous heart should raise troops to serve the Emperor and kill the traitor!"

The wind and snow outside the tent intensified, but the candlelight inside burned even brighter.

Cao Cao's writing was swift and powerful, each character imbued with deep sorrow, indignation, and resolute determination.

The ink drops onto the paper like sparks about to ignite, as if they would set the whole world ablaze in the next moment.

Standing beside him were Wei Zi, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, Cao Hong... Everyone held their breath and held their breath very quietly, for fear of disturbing this moment.

"Dong Zhuo, the traitor, deceived Heaven and Earth... He defiled the palace, slaughtered countless lives, was ruthless and cruel, and his crimes were numerous!"

Cao Cao's writing was forceful, each character imbued with a gnashing hatred, as if Dong Zhuo were standing right in front of him, and each stroke was a stab in Dong Zhuo's heart.