The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 453: Troops Arrive at Moling
Before Cheng Yu sent people to monitor the situation in Jiangbei, scouts came from the direction of Wuhu, reporting that a large number of enemies had appeared in Caishiji. Cao Cao immediately realized that the Cavalry Army had finally begun its expedition against Jiangzuo.

What made him even more worried was the situation in the direction of Chibi. The Cavalry Army was so confident and bold in attacking Jiangzuo. The most likely reason was that the Battle of Chibi was nearing its end and the outcome had been decided, so the Cavalry Army had the spare energy to attack Jiangzuo.

“To defend the Yangtze River, we must also defend the Huai River. It’s because we lost the buffer zone between the Yangtze River and the Huai River that the Cavalry Army was able to invade the south of the Yangtze River so easily.” Inside the Wu Hou Mansion, Cao Cao looked at the plum blossoms outside with an inexplicable look on his face.

Cheng Yu did not speak. At this time, it was too late to say anything. The enemy had already entered Caishiji, and there were also navy warships. It was obvious that the enemy had a plan in advance, one ring after another, and caught Cao Cao off guard.

"My lord, the enemy's navy transported Zhang Liao to Caishiji. I think it's the Han River navy. Moling is already in danger." Xun Yu looked much older.

Over the years, Xun Yu has worked hard and been exhausted all day long. Coupled with the worsening situation, Xun Yu is no longer the gentle gentleman he used to be, and has become a little more twilight-looking.

Cao Cao's face turned even worse after hearing this. What was the origin of the Hanjiang Navy? This reminded him of Li Dian. The navy led by Li Dian entered the Hanjiang River and was completely annihilated. If he guessed correctly, the so-called Hanjiang Navy warships were built under Cao Cao's personal supervision, but now they have become a weapon in the hands of the enemy, turning against him.

"The enemy has landed at Caishiji and is advancing by land and sea. They will soon be able to enter Moling," Cao Cao sighed.

"My lord, the scouts report that warships of the cavalry navy appeared on the river." The guard Xu Chu rushed in and brought bad news to Cao Cao.

The naval warships of the Cavalry Army really came over. As soon as they received the news that Caishiji had fallen, the enemy arrived in front of them overnight.

"Let's go and see who is leading the navy warship?" Cao Cao smiled slightly, without any sign of nervousness on his face, which made everyone relax a lot.

Xu Chu and others immediately surrounded Cao Cao and rushed to the riverside. On the river bank, they saw countless warships appearing in front of them. They were so densely packed that they were daunting.

Even Cao Cao couldn't help but tighten his whip.

Gan Ning also discovered Cao Cao and others on the shore. Although the river bank was also filled with densely packed soldiers who all looked elite, Gan Ning was not afraid at all.

"Cao Aman may not know the result of the Wulin War yet. His generals have either fled, died, or been captured. Tsk tsk, tens of thousands of troops were all destroyed by the king. It's really pitiful."

Gan Ning laughed heartily, looking very pleased with himself.

As the victorious party, we have the right to laugh at the other side, especially now.

"Let's go and meet Cao Cao."

Gan Ning ordered his men to launch a small boat, and led a few personal guards toward the river bank.

"Gan Ning is here, is the Marquis of Wu here?"

Gan Ning shouted loudly only when his boat was within an arrow's reach.

"Gan Ning? Why is it Gan Ning?" Cao Cao took a breath of cold air. He still remembered that not long ago, Gan Ning was imprisoned by Qin Shou. Unexpectedly, he was released in the blink of an eye and even led the army eastward.

"We have all been fooled by this cunning Qin Shou." Cao Cao knew that he had been fooled. Qin Shou's move made Cao Cao forget Gan Ning during the battle, and he suffered a great loss. "Xingba, long time no see." Cao Cao's face was gloomy.

"Lord Wu, I have led the navy here. I believe that Lord Wu has guessed the outcome of the Battle of Wulin. The conspiracy of Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang did not succeed. The king has already annihilated all the powerful enemies. I am afraid that he is now cleaning up the mess and attacking cities and strongholds." Gan Ning's voice was very loud and could be heard from far away.

Cao Cao clenched his fists. Although he had guessed the ending long ago, he was still shocked when Gan Ning said it. He could even hear exclamations from behind him.

He knew the impact this news would have on ordinary soldiers.

"Gan Xingba, victory in a war cannot change anything. Jiangdong has hundreds of thousands of soldiers and thousands of generals. It is impossible for the cavalry to defeat us." Cao Cao's voice was loud and full of heroism.

Even though he was at a disadvantage, Cao Cao still had a unwillingness to admit defeat. He believed that with the soldiers around him, it would not be easy for Qin Shou to defeat him.

Gan Ning did not understand. What Cao Cao said made sense. In a long war to annihilate a country, one victory could not solve anything, but the current situation was different.

The Cavalry Army had already gained an absolute advantage. Cao Cao, who had already lost the initiative in the war, could not succeed and was basically powerless to turn the situation around.

Gan Ning had enough time to deal with the current situation. At the very least, he could force Cao Cao to not split his troops to deal with Zhang Liao's troops. This was the role of the navy.

Cao Cao just watched Gan Ning's small boat return to the naval fleet, but he could do nothing about it. Who could have made him do this because his men no longer had any naval warships?
"Gan Ning's troops are not numerous, but they are very important. With these troops, we can only defend Moling and cannot deal with Zhang Liao." Cheng Yu saw through Gan Ning's plan at a glance.

This group of troops was not here to attack Moling, but to contain Cao Cao's army, forcing them to not advance westward and prevent them from dealing with Zhang Liao's arrival.

If nothing unexpected happens, the two armies will soon meet at the foot of Moling City until Qin Shou's army arrives.

"Then defeat them. Defeat them before Qin Shou does. Although the Battle of Red Cliffs is over, Qin Shou's first target was Liu Bei, and he still has more things to finish. We still have a chance."

Cao Cao was a great hero, so how could he accept defeat? Since he could not escape, Cao Cao decided to fight to the death. His main force did not lose many men and horses, so he thought he could still fight against the cavalry.

Cao Cao turned his horse around and returned to Moling City. He wanted to redeploy Moling City because he knew the situation he was about to face.

On the third day, scouts of the Cavalry Army appeared outside the city of Moling. Half a day later, Zhang Liao personally led 30,000 Cavalry Army to Moling, while Gan Ning's 10,000 Han River navy also arrived at the Huai River, forming a pincer attack with Zhang Liao's troops.

Cao Cao led his civil and military officials to the city wall to see Zhang Liao's camp. However, after seeing it, everyone looked solemn. They saw that Zhang Liao's camp was just ordinary and there was nothing special about it.

However, precisely because of this, it is difficult to break into the camp, and the only option is to engage the enemy head-on or wait for them to attack the city.

Will the enemy attack the city?

Cao Cao thought this possibility was relatively small.

(End of this chapter)