I should marry the traitor

Chapter 268 Fake Failure
Xu You's disappearance did not cause any waves on Yuan Mochu's side. After all, after suffering such humiliation, it was normal for him not to stay. It seemed that he had ulterior motives if he stayed.

As for where Xu You went, Yuan Mochu didn't care. It didn't matter even if he went to join Cao Mengde.

After all, Xu You only held a sinecure position under her, and knew very little about the detailed arrangements of the march.

However, out of caution, Yuan Mochu still planned to change the original marching route and military supply arrangements. These things are not static, so they are not too troublesome.

For Yuan Mochu, the important thing now is how to quickly take down Cao Mengde.

But after Xu You was accused by Yuan Mochu, it was obviously not the time to talk.

Xu You had already been kicked out for offering advice. Although it sounded like there were other reasons, no one wanted to continue giving advice following this bad luck.

Tian Feng wanted to say something, but after thinking for a moment, he didn't speak.

But in private, Tian Feng found Yuan Mochu.

"My lord, are you still worried about the Cao thief?"

"Oh? What does Sister Feng have to teach me?"

"I have a plan to quickly capture Cao, but it must be done in secret."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Mochu immediately waved his hand to signal everyone in the room to go out.

However, Tian Feng said, "Generals Yan Niang and Wen Xiu, please stay. We need to discuss this matter together."

Yuan Mochu frowned slightly when she heard that. It wasn't that she didn't trust Yan Niang and Wen Xiu, but what was the point of letting these two guys with not very good brains stay and listen to the plan?
When there were only four people left in the room, Tian Feng slowly spoke and put on his armor first: "Let the lord know in advance that this is a risky plan."

Yuan Mochu waved her hand nonchalantly. She was not a fool and of course she knew that war is a treacherous business and there will naturally be risks.

She just wanted to get rid of Xu You, who made her worried. She didn't really become a fool who couldn't tell right from wrong.

"This is a private matter, no one else is here, but you can say it as you like."

After receiving Yuan Mochu's affirmation, Tian Feng put down his hands in a bow and raised his head and said:

"The strategy of launching a surprise attack from Jiangxia could theoretically encircle Cao's army, but it is a bit risky."

"Since the Lord feels that the method with too many variables is inappropriate, we can choose a more reliable method."

"We don't have to leave Yuzhou, but let Cao Mengde march into Yuzhou."

Yuan Mochu's eyebrows twitched slightly when she heard this. She understood what Tian Feng said, but because she understood it, she felt even more confused.

"You mean fake defeat?"

"Of course."

"So we need Yan Niang Wenxiu to do this?"

"Of course."

Tian Feng's plan was to pretend to be defeated and make Cao Mengde greedy for merit and advance rashly, so that he could step into Yuzhou himself. Yuan Mochu set up an ambush in advance, so there was naturally a high probability that Cao Mengde could be besieged.

After all, Yuan Mochu knew that woman Cao Mengde too well, and he also knew the Yazi bloodline too well.

After all, the manifesto Yuan Mochu had sent out previously had already disgusted Cao Mengde greatly. As long as there was a flaw that she could find, she would not miss the opportunity to bite off a piece of meat from her.

But faking a defeat is a matter of great test of loyalty and military morale. The commander who is responsible for the fake defeat must be loyal to him and be able to control the soldiers under him.

Pretending to be defeated is just a defeat, but never a collapse.

Looking at it this way, Yuan Mochu also understood that Yan Niang Wenxiu was the best candidate.

"How much will you pay for this fake defeat?"

"At least, half of Runan County."

"Hiss, you said it quite lightly."

"My lord, you can't catch a jackal without sacrificing a child." "That's half of Runan! The foundation of my Yuan family!"

"Yes, my lord, that's what you think. Cao the thief would think the same way."

Yuan Mochu remained silent after hearing this, but Tian Feng knew her too well and knew that her expression showed that she was interested.

"As long as Cao Mengde dares to swallow half of Runan County, he will be trapped in the lord's cage."

"Besides, Cao Mengde is short of food and grass. The longer the battle line is, the more scarce her food and grass will be."

"As long as we give up half of Runan, Cao's army will be defeated in one battle."

"By then, Cao thief will be nothing but a turtle in the jar!"

"More importantly, as long as Cao Mengde continues to advance vigorously and the lord shows signs of fatigue, he will surely be able to confuse the thief Dong in Luoyang."

"Dong the thief hopes that the fight between us and Cao Mengde will be a draw, not that one side will quickly defeat the other."

"As long as Cao thief wins a small victory along the way, Dong thief will never send troops to help."

"When they both let down their guard, we can defeat them in one go! Quickly capture Cao the thief!"

Tian Feng's idea was relatively comprehensive, even the element of Dong the thief sending troops was taken into consideration, which made Yuan Mochu quite interested.

The most important thing is that the difference in military strength between Cao Mengde and Yuan Shao is too great. Yuan Mochu is confident that he will not lose, so it doesn't matter if he pretends to be defeated a few times to boost Cao Mengde's morale.

But having to give up half of Runan County still made Yuan Mochu very sad.

Runan County is not a small border county, but a prosperous place that has been developed for a long time, with a dense population and abundant food and grass.

A county like Runan is equivalent to half a state in some poor places. Cao's bandits are short of food and grass. After the army enters Runan County, they will definitely ravage Runan. How can Yuan Mochu not be heartbroken?

"Phew, I see."

"I hope my lord will make a prompt decision."

"According to what you said, this matter was carried out secretly, and Yan Niang and Wen Xiu were all deployed by you."

Tian Feng showed a hint of joy when she heard that. Yuan Mochu was indeed very courageous and could listen to others. This was exactly why she was willing to assist Yuan Mochu.

Upon hearing this, Tian Feng looked at Yan Niang Wenxiu and asked in a gentle voice, "This matter is of great importance and confidential, so I can only trouble the two generals."

Tian Feng's tone was very good. It was not a good thing to let others lose a battle, let alone let two famous generals lose the battle.

Upon hearing this, Yan Niang Wenxiu, although she felt a little reluctant about deliberately losing the battle, she still agreed reluctantly.

Finally, the older Yan Niang stood up and said:
"Since it is the Lord's order, my two sisters should obey it."

"It's just that my sister and I were ordered to fake defeat..."

"But for all the humiliation we have suffered here, when we succeed, Lord Tian will redress our reputation."

Tian Feng readily agreed:

"Of course, both generals are great commanders, both brave and wise."

"This feigned defeat of Cao is just a stopgap measure to achieve a quick victory."

"When we defeat Cao's army, I will write a letter myself and let the lord announce it to the whole army."

Yuan Shao also nodded in response, saying that this was a natural thing.

It seemed that the plan was already well planned, and Tian Feng felt that he could start to arrange the next step of feigning defeat.

However, Tian Feng's thinking was very thorough, but he did not expect that the most unpredictable thing in the world is not the art of war, but the human heart.

(End of this chapter)