Three Kingdoms Mythology World.

It's just a river!

That Dong Zhuo guy actually defended this very narrow waterway to such an extent... Could it be that Mei County has truly been turned into an impregnable fortress?!
"No...no...why did Lin Mu's men withdraw so quietly?"

When Cao Cao recalled the situation of Huang Zhong and the others, his face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

Why are they different from Huang Zhong and others?!
"An inside man!!!" Cao Cao and Ji Ling exclaimed in unison.

At this moment, they already knew who the army of 800,000 that had entered the city from the side a few nights ago without causing any disturbance belonged to...

“No… the longer this drags on, the more successful Lin Mu’s plan will be…” Cao Cao immediately assessed the situation.

Mei County must be captured, and captured in a short time, otherwise Lin Mu will have looted all the treasures and resources in Mei County!

"Boyi, go and negotiate with the other two forces. I'll go find Zhang Liao. We must break through the city before tomorrow evening!" Cao Cao shouted decisively.

"Okay!!" Ji Ling knew the matter was urgent, so she replied and turned to leave.

Besides the three groups of people, there were two other groups lying in ambush nearby.

On one side is Sun Jian, and on the other is Ma Teng!
Actually, apart from Bao Xin, the others weren't really there for sightseeing.

Bao Xin: mmp...

"Attacking the city and slaughtering the defending soldiers is essentially slaughtering Lin Mu's army and weakening his foundation." The thought that the defending soldiers might have been turned by Lin Mu or were already his men sent a whet to Cao Cao's spine...

When did Lin Mu extend his reach into Mei County?
Keep in mind, his forces in the shadows had expended tremendous effort but failed... Lin Mu had actually managed to completely neutralize the city's defending army...

This scheme truly terrified him.

This time, he was prepared to completely destroy this defending army on the city walls.

This would not only weaken the Bingzhou army, but also weaken Lin Mu, killing two birds with one stone.

This was the only excuse he could think of to comfort himself after the failed siege he had launched in such a hasty manner.

It's not that the enemy is too weak, it's that the enemy is too powerful.

Then, just as he had never imagined, countless wounded soldiers kept emerging from the riverbed...

The attacking army has withdrawn.

On both sides of the riverbank, countless soldiers were busy at work, in utter chaos, with cries of agony and calls for doctors everywhere...

Seeing everything unfold, Cao Cao's face turned ashen.

By the time Xiahou Dun and the other three emerged, Cao Cao's face was downcast, his expression unreadable...

"They actually paid the price of 120,000 soldiers..." Cao Cao said, each word distinct and his eyes bloodshot.

He stood on the riverbank, watching the soldiers surge into the city with overwhelming morale. He knew how many soldiers had entered the city, how many had drowned, and how many had retreated. That's why he was the first to determine how many soldiers had not returned!

"This humble general is incompetent! The defeat in this battle is all my fault for misjudging the situation!" Xiahou Dun knelt down before Cao Cao, attributing all the defeat to him.

"What is the specific situation inside the city?" Cao Cao asked, his voice trembling slightly as he suppressed his rage.

Xiahou Dun didn't hide anything and told the whole story...

In fact, Xiahou Dun still had a good chance to lead his army to the edge of the funnel. Once they attacked, they would have the upper hand.

The above should all be archers, with no other powerful infantry units.

But they dared not take the risk… “It’s not your fault, I misjudged the situation.” Cao Cao took a deep breath and took the blame upon himself.

He initially thought that Lin Mu's men, coming out from the riverbed, wouldn't be heavily defended... but Xiahou Dun and his men easily seized the lower reaches of the river, routing the defending troops... He thought this was his chance... but he never expected something like this to happen...

No wonder the Bingzhou army didn't attack the city from these small, uneven locations.

"Yuan Rang, quickly reorganize the troops and calm the soldiers down. Miao Cai, have the logistics soldiers cook rice and hot soup to ensure logistical support."

"Your son is filial and upright. Let's go find Zhang Liao," Cao Cao quickly instructed.

Although the siege failed, Cao Cao did not give up and instead prepared to join forces with others to launch a frontal assault on the city.

"Yes, sir!" the group immediately replied.

……

Lin Mu, who had returned to the imperial palace in Chang'an, was unaware that Cao Cao had suddenly suffered another loss.

Having temporarily cleared his mind of external emotions, Lin Mu stood before the palace gate, his eyes slightly closed, quietly absorbing the weight of Chang'an City.

Standing here, he vaguely sensed that the shackles on his cultivation had loosened slightly!
That's right, after reaching the peak of the Heavenly Rank Martial General, he felt for the first time that the bottleneck was loosening...

"The Qi of the Dynasty... Could it be that the opportunity for me to break through to the Divine General realm truly lies within the Qi of the Dynasty..." Lin Mu, with his eyes tightly closed, carefully sensed the surrounding Qi and thought to himself.

After a moment of silence, he opened his eyes and continued to survey his surroundings as an observer.

As he stepped into the palace, he immediately saw the extremely eye-catching throne atop the white jade steps.

That's the emperor's throne, the dragon throne!
Beside it was the throne of abdication, its design modeled after that of the emperor. It was made of sandalwood, decorated with gilded gold, and carved with a dragon. The color scheme was changed from the black of the Han dynasty to a purplish-black to signify the beginning of a new dynasty and the renewal of the Mandate of Heaven.

Before him was a purple-gold table, on which were placed some ceremonial items and a ceremonial sword... seemingly items used by Dong Zhuo to receive the abdication.

According to the plan, Dong Zhuo should have died at the Temple of Heaven, and he would not have had the chance to come to this palace again.

However, Wang Yun's side still managed to arrange everything flawlessly.

"Tap tap!~~" Lin Mu walked in.

The floor inside the hall is made of five-colored bluestone in the shape of a Tai Chi symbol, corresponding to the five elements of heaven and earth, symbolizing the rotation of destiny and the change of the world.

The walls of the hall are adorned with ancient abdication scenes and some newly created landscape paintings. With the removal of portraits of meritorious officials from throughout the Han dynasty, all traces of ancient Han history begin to fade…

On both sides of the jade steps, hundreds of incense burners were burning agarwood, ambergris, and jasmine. The smoke wafted and enveloped the entire hall, creating a solemn and serene atmosphere.

The entire Weiyang Palace is filled with a rather peculiar sense of heaviness, and a touch of melancholy...

He quickly finished viewing the palace, savoring its atmosphere and charm, which gave him considerable insights.

Lin Mu, who had just left the palace, felt a vibration coming from his arms.

Lin Mu took out the pages of the Qiankun Mother-Child Book to examine them... The latest intelligence was immediately gathered towards him.

"Phew!! Diao Chan has been taken away from Mei County... No other unexpected events have occurred. It seems that the formation that imprisoned Diao Chan was that formation." Lin Mu breathed a sigh of relief and muttered to himself.

Having successfully taken Diao Chan away, although they haven't yet teleported back to Shenlong Valley from the affiliated territory, it means Yu Jin will be alright.

First core mission accomplished!! (End of Chapter)