NOVPUBCao Hong’s nearly thousand reinforcement troops, stationed not too far ahead, were directly scattered by one sweep of Hua Xiong’s blade. Everyone is no fool; they ran faster than rabbits, seeing such an insurmountable opponent, they would not stubbornly resist to death unless absolutely necessary.
Though Hua Xiong marched swiftly, after all, it involved the movement of thousands of men together, which could not match the speed of a single rider or a few horses going all out to deliver a message. 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
By the time Hua Xiong led his troops to Dongping, Cao Cao, who was holding fort in Shanyang, had already received the latest intelligence.
"Alas, Liu Xuande has numerous good officials and valiant generals! I never expected the great task of tribute to be given to Hua Xiong, allowing him to meet with the Emperor face to face, to wash away the stains upon his reputation. I thought it would be just a Ritual Officer handling this matter, but to think it was Hua Xiong. It seems this man has ambitions for the whole world," sighed Cao Cao heavily after reading the report.
Ever since Chen Xi achieved a major victory over a million Yellow Turbans and gathered their followers, Cao Mengde had stayed in Shanyang, intending to thoroughly study what Liu Xuande was all about. Given that the situation in Mount Tai couldn’t be better than in Chenliu, Liu Xuande had the support of Tao Qian, and he, Cao Mengde, also had grain sent by Zhang Miao. Why did the gap seem to widen the more he learned about it?
Therefore, Cao Mengde put aside his intention to attack and conferred Mount Tai and began to carefully study it. The more he studied, the more he felt that Chen Xi’s method held promise. The problem was that Mount Tai’s method only suited Mount Tai because there were no noble families there...
Standing beside him like a wall, Dian Wei grunted without speaking, but his voice at this moment was enough to indicate his dissatisfaction.
"Elai, do you have something to say?" asked Cao Cao with a smile, knowing what Dian Wei was thinking upon hearing his grumbling noises.
"Dian Wei believes he is no less capable than Hua Xiong, and begs for an opportunity from my lord to do battle with him!" Dian Wei said with a bow, his voice resonant as his muscles seemed on the verge of bursting his armor.
"Hahaha!" Cao Mengde laughed heartily. "If Liu Xuande has Guan and Zhang, then I also have valiant generals like you under my command. Let’s go and intercept Hua Xiong. I too want to witness the formation Zilian spoke of!"
Just as Cao Cao was preparing to take his guard, Dian Wei, to get a closer look at Hua Xiong, Xun Yu appeared, "Lord, Yongzhou’s Zhong Yao reports that Li Que and Guo Si led 300,000 troops to defeat Lyu Bu, and Wang Zishi perished at the foot of Chang’an City."
After delivering his report, Xun Yu handed the bamboo slip to Cao Cao, whose face grew increasingly grim as he read. "How dare the traitor do this!"
In a fit of rage, he stood up and forcefully slammed the bamboo slip onto the table.
"I urge my lord to curb his anger. Fortunately, the Emperor is unharmed; we still have time to accumulate our strength and rescue him," said Xun Yu, attempting to remain calm. The Emperor’s predicament was unbearable to someone like him.
Cao Cao exhaled deeply, and the idea of blocking Hua Xiong faded away. "Wen Ruo, do we have enough food?"
"We have only enough food for one more month. Moreover, due to the Yellow Turban rebellion last year, the fields we cultivated are basically ruined. Following that, for the Xia planting season, we lack seeds and farming tools, and even if we sow in time for Xia, we still have four months until the autumn harvest. Most importantly, we now have an additional over five hundred thousand refugees," Xun Yu said helplessly. The lack of food remained a massive problem.
Cao Cao didn’t listen to Xun Yu’s words at all. His previous question was just to keep Xun Yu from focusing on his expression, to prevent him from noticing anything.
Right now, Cao Cao’s thoughts were still on the previous intelligence. Minister of Education Wang Yun had leapt to his death from the city wall; Liu Xie, under the intimidation of Li Que and Guo Si, did not dare utter a single word in defense of Wang Yun. He could only hang his head and allow Wang Yun to jump from the wall in utter despair. Then, he issued an imperial decree to execute his entire family and discard their bodies in the wilderness.
Cao Cao didn’t know how to describe his current mood—was it disappointment or frustration?
If only Liu Xie had said one word in defense, Wang Yun probably wouldn’t have regretted his decision, even if it meant jumping off the city wall. He would have cursed Li Que and Guo Si as treacherous ministers, saying that he would wait for them in the underworld. He definitely wouldn’t have jumped without a word! Furthermore, countless righteous people would have eagerly sacrificed their lives for the country. But Liu Xie yielded, not daring to say a word. What was he afraid of?
Li Que and Guo Si could not, and dared not, kill him. If the Emperor Liu Bian died, the feudal lords would attack Dong Zhuo. Now with Li Que, Guo Si could not withstand the coalition army of the world’s lords. They truly didn’t dare harm Liu Xie, at most they could only intimidate.
"If a monarch regards his ministers as if they were his hands and feet, the ministers will regard the monarch as their heart and soul; if a monarch regards his ministers as dogs and horses, the ministers will regard the monarch as one of the national people; if a monarch regards his ministers as dirt and weeds, then the ministers will regard the monarch as an enemy!" A phrase emerged in Cao Mengde’s heart, and then suddenly, as if shedding a layer of prison, his demeanor became grand and imposing.
"If a monarch regards his ministers as dirt and weeds, huh…" Cao Mengde sighed, a seed slowly taking root in the depths of his heart.
"Lord!" Xun Yu said with a slight frown.
"Ha, Wen Ruo, never mind that. I was just moved by this intelligence. Now let’s continue with the matter at hand. Do we have a big shortage in food?" Cao Cao apologized to Xun Yu with a smile, not minding his own status as a lord.
"The shortage is significant. Even with the support of the Yanzhou gentry, there is still a large shortfall. Overall, the government treasury’s money and grain are insufficient. Normal methods are no longer enough to fill the gap; we must use other methods to deal with this," Xun Yu said, his eyes flashing with gratitude before calming down again. Sometimes, one must remain calm enough to fulfill their plans.
"What plan do you propose?" Cao Cao said with some excitement. Food had always been his concern, and Xun Yu might have a solution.
"Since we lack grain in Yanzhou, then we will take food from the enemy. We have no grain, but Mount Tai, Xuzhou, and Yuzhou all have grain!" Xun Yu declared, his eyes flashing with a cold light.
"After the war against Dong Zhuo, the world’s forces could be divided into two: Dong Zhuo’s Guanzi force and the Guandong Lords. However, due to Yuan Benchu and Yuan Gonglu, the Guandong Lords are again divided into two forces centered on Jizhou and Yuzhou. With the White Horse General rising uniquely and interfering, this was why Chen Zichuan, despite being at a disadvantage, could still press against Jizhou. He was putting pressure on Yuan Shao, strengthening his alliance with Shu’s forces. A single move could affect the whole situation. Just because of this, he could gain a huge amount of support and have enough time to recuperate," Xun Yu slowly outlined the situation of the world.
"And now, we must also choose a side. Although we have been on the same path as Yuan Benchu, we have not formed an alliance. This time, we should also strengthen our ties with Shao’s forces. This world is not only Liu Xuande who can gain others’ support. There are also people who want to support us!" A gentle smile appeared on Xun Yu’s face.
Seeing the smile on Xun Yu’s face, Cao Cao immediately felt at ease. Every time Xun Yu showed a smile, it meant the situation was under control. As Xun Yu spoke this way, it certainly couldn’t be a joke. (To be continued. If you like this work, your support with a recommendation vote or monthly vote at Qidian (qidian.com) is greatly appreciated. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
