The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 483 The final struggle
"Whoever captures Cao Cao alive will be granted the title of Marquis and rewarded with a thousand gold coins."

"Whoever captures Cao's general alive will be rewarded with a title and a hundred gold coins."

"Anyone who dares to resist will be killed without mercy, and their families will be exiled thousands of miles away to serve as slaves for the soldiers at the border."

.......
Early in the morning, sharp arrows broke through the air and flew towards the city wall. There were no proclamations or the like on the arrows, but directly stated rewards, ranging from titles, official positions to money, etc., which were particularly attractive.

Originally, the wealthy families in Wu County were afraid of being killed by Cao Cao, but this time they were inspired by Qin Shou's reward.

Whether it is a title or money, especially now that Cao Cao is about to be defeated.

"boom!"

As the sound of war drums rang out, Cao Cao rushed to the city wall and saw a large group of troops slowly coming from the west, waving black flags, with great momentum.

Cao Cao knew that the reinforcements from the Cavalry Army had arrived, but he didn't know who was leading the army.

In the big tent, generals such as Zhang Liao, Xu Sheng, Gan Ning and Gao Lan gathered.

"Lu Xun, the genius of Jiangdong, I have heard of your name a long time ago. After meeting you today, I find that you are indeed a remarkable person." Qin Shou looked at the young man in front of him, who looked a little shabby.

"I haven't congratulated the king yet. You are about to unify the world." Lu Xun's face was calm.

"The unification of the world is inevitable, but Boyan, you have an unparalleled talent and will bring peace to the world. Are you planning to just sit back and relax?"

Qin Shou chuckled.

Lu Xun's expression was complicated, and finally he sighed. He said slowly: "Your Majesty, you are too kind. I am just a scholar. Although I have some intelligence, I dare not claim to be a genius. The general trend of the world is that after a long period of division, there will be unification, and after a long period of unification, there will be division. This is the cycle of nature. Your Majesty is talented and ambitious, and it is natural for you to unify the world. Although I am not talented, I am willing to serve Your Majesty and help Your Majesty to pacify the world as soon as possible and bring peace and prosperity to the people of the world."

Qin Shou heard this, a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes, and he nodded and said: "Bo Yan really has the world in his heart, which comforts me. In this case, he will accompany the army to assist in military affairs and lend a helping hand to me."

The world is about to be unified, if Lu Xun died on the battlefield, that would be his fate. But now that he has been captured by me, that is also his fate, and I can use him for my own benefit.

Lu Xun bowed and said calmly: "I will do my best to live up to your high expectations."

Qin Shou nodded with satisfaction, then turned to look at the generals in the tent and said in a deep voice: "Generals, Cao Cao is doomed, but he still refuses to give up and is fighting stubbornly in the city. Now that reinforcements have arrived, our army's morale is high. It is a good time to pursue the victory and annihilate Cao's army in one fell swoop! Do you have any good plans?"

"Your Majesty, the enemy is right before our eyes. We now have 100,000 soldiers and horses. Let's simply surround the four gates of Wu County and attack day and night. We will surely defeat Cao's army." Zhang Liao said loudly.

Cao Cao is now trapped in a jar and there is no way he can escape. So they simply block the four gates and attack day and night. Sooner or later, he will capture Wu County.

"That's right, Your Majesty. Our army is launching a massive attack. Small Wu County is no match for them. If things go wrong, the noble families in the city may all be willing to surrender. When our army attacks, they will join forces with us to help us enter the city."

Gan Ning also agreed.

Qin Shou nodded and said, "In that case, let's divide the troops into four groups. Zhang Liao, Gan Ning, Xu Sheng, and Gao Lan will each lead an army of 20,000 to block the four gates, and Cai Mao will lead the navy to block the water gate." Qin Shou also agreed with the other party's suggestion.

As soon as Qin Shou gave the order, all the generals followed his orders and reorganized their troops to prepare for the attack. Outside Wu County, the Qin army surged in like a tide, and the four gates were surrounded tightly. The sound of war drums shook the earth, the flags covered the sun, and the murderous aura was overwhelming.

Inside the city, Cao Cao stood on the tower, looking at the densely packed Qin army outside the city, his brows furrowed. He knew very well that although Wu County was strong, it would be difficult to defend it for long in the face of the siege of the Qin army of 100,000. What's more, the noble families in the city had already become restless and might defect at any time.

"My lord, the Qin army is powerful. We should break out at night and find another way." Advisor Cheng Yu suggested in a low voice.

Cao Cao shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Break out? The Qin army is surrounding the city from all sides, advancing by land and sea. How can we break out? Moreover, if we abandon the city and flee, the army will be in chaos, and there will be no way to survive."

Cheng Yu remained silent after hearing this. Cao Cao took a deep breath and said with a firm look, "Pass the order down, the entire army will defend Wu County to the death, and must hold out until reinforcements arrive!"

However, Cao Cao knew clearly that the so-called reinforcements were just a lie. The world was in chaos now, and Qin Shou's unification of the world was a foregone conclusion. He was just a trapped beast fighting.

As night fell, the Qin army did not rush to attack the city, but lit countless torches, illuminating the area outside Wu County as bright as day. Seeing this, the Cao army soldiers in the city became more and more panicked and their morale dropped.

At the same time, in Qin Shou's tent, Lu Xun was discussing with Qin Shou how to break the city.

"Your Majesty, the walls of Wu County are strong. If we attack the city by force, there will probably be heavy casualties. I think it would be better to attack the heart of the people, undermine the morale of Cao's army, and force Cao Cao to surrender." Lu Xun said slowly.

Qin Shou nodded and said, "What's Bo Yan's plan?"

Lu Xun smiled slightly and said, "Cao's army is now in a desperate situation. The food and grass in the city are limited, and the army's morale is unstable. Xun suggests that the king pardon the crimes of the soldiers defending the city and the noble families in the city in exchange for their support."

Although the bounty had been issued before, there were inevitably some loyal people under Cao Cao, and under Cao Cao's intimidation, they were still able to hold the city in the past few days.

The longer this siege lasts, the greater the blow to the enemy's morale.

The effect of making a promise at this time will definitely be completely different from that of the previous few days.

Qin Shou issued another order, ordering his men to write the amnesty on an arrow and shoot it into Wu County. On the arrow was written: "Anyone who abandons darkness and joins light will be forgiven; anyone who captures Cao Cao will be rewarded with a thousand gold coins; anyone who captures Cao's general will be rewarded with a hundred gold coins; anyone who surrenders the city will be granted a title and land."

Arrows rained down like locusts, shooting into the city one after another. When the soldiers and the noble families in the city saw the pardon written on the arrows, they immediately felt hopeful. The noble families, who had originally been afraid to act rashly due to Cao Cao's strict orders, now began to secretly contact each other and discuss how to surrender the city.

Cao Cao stood on the tower, looking at the increasingly chaotic atmosphere in the city, and thought to himself that something was not right. He knew very well that Qin Shou's move was intended to undermine his army's morale, and if he did not respond in time, civil strife would break out in the city.

"Pass the order down, anyone who shakes the morale of the army will be executed immediately!" Cao Cao ordered sternly.

However, despite the strict military orders, it was difficult to resist the wavering of people's hearts. The soldiers and the aristocratic families in the city had already lost their confidence in Cao Cao, and they secretly planned to surrender the city.

It was because most of his troops were in the hands of the Cao and Xiahou families, and generals like Xiahou Dun patrolled day and night, that he was able to barely suppress Wu County.

(End of this chapter)