Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1076: Ten-year plan
"Great!" Cao Cao slapped his thigh, extremely excited.

"Pass the order down, the entire army will attack, and capture Hulao Pass before dawn!"

Gao Shun on the city wall was filled with grief and indignation as he watched Cheng Liang's corpse being proudly carried on the back of Lu Bu's horse as a trophy to be used to ask Cao Cao for credit. However, his lips were trembling and he grabbed the city wall with both hands. His palms almost rubbed against the rough brick surface until they bled, but he seemed unaware and was speechless for a long time.

Behind him, countless strong men were crying and wailing.

Outside the pass, the horn sounded by Cao's army launching a general attack, so melodious and loud that the Han army soldiers looked over with red eyes.

"Damn it! I'm going to chop off Cao's head today to avenge General Cheng!"

Gao Shun raised his arms and shouted: "Soldiers, kill the enemy!"

"Dang..." Liu He was a little shaken, and he slammed the Yang Ming Po Ni Zhan heavily to the ground before he could barely stabilize his body.

"Third brother... my third brother..."

Zhang He, who was in charge of the guard, hurried forward to support him and said, "Your Majesty, are you tired? Why don't you retreat and rest first?"

Liu He's body was trembling slightly and his expression was full of sadness, which made Zhang He a little surprised, but he didn't dare to ask more.

"Go, tell Cui Jun to come see me."

After a while, Cui Jun came on horseback.

"I am here to see you, Your Majesty."

"The plan has started." Liu He's voice was somewhat cold, and even Cui Jun could hear boundless murderous intent in it.

"Your Majesty just said that Cao's army has not yet launched a full-scale attack. Right now..."

Liu He's extremely sharp eyes swept over, causing Cui Jun's heart to tremble. He had followed His Majesty for nearly fifteen years, but this was the first time he had faced such a look from His Majesty.

"I said, start immediately. If I don't kill Cao this time, I will not be a human being!"

Cui Jun was secretly surprised, wondering what had happened to make the usually calm and composed emperor so angry.

But he didn't ask any more questions, and immediately retreated and started to prepare.

The sky gradually dawned, and a faint paleness appeared in the east. It was less than an hour before the sun completely passed over the distant mountain.

After a night of fighting, the defenders in Hulao Pass were already exhausted. However, due to the death of Cheng Liang and the annihilation of the Divine Tiger Cavalry, all the defending soldiers were filled with righteous indignation, and they all turned into bloodthirsty beasts, making it difficult for Cao's offensive to have much effect for a while.

"My Lord..." Cheng Yu was a little anxious: "The enemy is eager to fight and is determined to avenge Cheng Liang. It will be difficult for our army to gain an advantage in a short period of time."

"Yes, Meng De..." Xiahou Dun retreated from the front, took off the outermost armor and threw it on the ground.

"The enemy's counterattack was too strong. My armor was broken. It was really hard to deal with them."

As he was speaking, two soldiers brought a new piece of armor and helped him put it on.

Cao Cao's face was very calm, and he didn't show any anxiety at all.

"Haha, don't worry, the chance to win will come soon."

When these words were spoken, many people present looked puzzled.

"What did Meng De calculate?"

Cao Cao did not comment: "Just wait and see."

At this moment, a scout came running over: "Report..."

Cao Cao's eyes lit up: "What's Liu He doing?"

"My lord, Liu He has suddenly returned and is charging this way. Liu Bei, Jiang Huan, and Zhang Fei are each leading their troops and are chasing after him."

"Hahaha... I've finally waited for it." Cao Cao laughed heartily.

Now, Xiahou Dun and others understood why Cao Cao was so confident just now.

"Meng De had expected that Liu He would come back to kill us?" Without waiting for Cao Cao to answer, Guo Jia said, "Cheng Liang and Liu He are sworn brothers. They have been together since they were young. Their friendship is extraordinary and their achievements are outstanding. His tragic death in front of Hulao Pass must have greatly disturbed Liu He's mind. Moreover, there are Guan Yu, Zhang Yong and Zhu Ye in the army. Even if Liu He can hold back, these three will definitely come back to avenge this blood feud."

"That's right." Cao Cao was very excited. "But even I never thought that Liu He would come back with his entire army. I thought he would send some troops, led by Guan Yu, to attack our army from both sides. I didn't expect him to come back in person. Haha, God is really helping me. Liu He will definitely die today."

Xiahou Dun was delighted: "In that case, I congratulate you in advance on establishing your kingdom in the Central Plains and achieving unprecedented hegemony."

Xi Zhong nodded slightly: "Liu He is so reckless. Once he returns and gets into a stalemate with our army, Liu Bei's army will rush over from behind. Even if he has the courage of a god, he will only be defeated. However, our army still needs to prepare in advance to prevent him from escaping."

"Of course." Cao Cao waved his hand and said, "Order Cao Ren and Xiahou Yuan to act according to the previous plan. I predict that Zhao Yun will be the first to attack the enemy. We must stop him. As long as we survive this first attack, Liu He will rush into the battlefield in a hurry. That will be the time for our army to win."

"Here!"

Gao Shun, who was on the city wall, suddenly saw signs of a large army marching on the eastern horizon. The flying dust and the faint sound of horse hooves indicated that this army was not only large in number, but also well-equipped and well-trained.

"Why did your majesty suddenly come back? Is it because of General Cheng?"

When Gao Shun thought of this, his face suddenly turned pale: "Not good, if Your Majesty returns now, won't he be attacked from both sides by the troops of Cao and Liu?"

He hurriedly called for the messenger: "Quick... send someone to inform His Majesty, tell him to stay calm and not act rashly..."

The messenger was naturally a little stunned as he rarely saw Gao Shun speak so many words in one breath. However, Gao Shun kept urging him, and the messenger then realized the seriousness of the matter and hurriedly called three scouts.

"Flutter..." A carrier pigeon suddenly landed.

"Huh?" Gao Shun saw it and quickly stepped forward to take the letter off the pigeon's leg.

There were only eight words on it: "Ten years of planning, destroy the bandits today."

Gao Shun's eyes widened: "So that's how it is..."

The messenger asked, "General, should we send out this scout again?"

Gao Shun's expression became much more relaxed, and he waved his hand: "No need."

Cao Cao also received the news almost at the same time. As expected, Zhao Yun, as the vanguard, had already arrived.

"The fate of this world has been decided today. The dust has settled."

In the mountains west of Hangu Pass, the Jiangdong soldiers were all in mourning, and the atmosphere was filled with grief.

Sun Ce, Zhou Yu and Lu Su stood on a huge rock, looking confused and hesitant.

"Gongjin, is there really no other solution?"

Zhou Yu said: "Now that the lord has died in battle, it is very bad for the morale of the army. Moreover, the attack on Luoyang failed. Coming to the alliance this time is equivalent to returning empty-handed. It is also futile to continue staying here."

Sun Ce was a little unwilling: "But Cao Cao and Liu He are about to fight a decisive battle. If they both lose, wouldn't it be the time for our army to reap the benefits?"

Zhou Yu shook his head. "No. I can say for sure that Cao Cao will lose this battle. As for the imperial court, even if there is some damage, the strength of Luoyang City has been witnessed by you. Even if Liu He returns to the city with some remnants, it will be difficult for our army to capture it. In addition, there is one more point, which is the most critical..."

At this point, Zhou Yu smiled slightly. Sun Ce knew that his virtuous brother always had some brilliant plan in mind, which was why he showed such an expression. So he asked curiously.

"What is the most important thing? Tell me quickly, brother."

Zhou Yu said: "If our lord dies in battle, the Jiangdong nobles, especially those who have returned to the imperial court and those who once submitted to the governor of Yangzhou, Liu Yao, will certainly take the opportunity to counterattack."

Sun Ce was a little unhappy: "How can this be considered a good thing?"

"Don't worry, brother. I haven't finished speaking yet."

Zhou Yu continued to explain: "Now the foundation of Jiangdong is all in the hands of my brother. My brother has just taken the throne. Now my Jiangdong has offended the court. If we want to continue to gain a foothold in Jiangdong, we must go through a bloodbath to deter the villains."

Sun Ce immediately understood: "Gongjin's intention is to deliberately let them cause trouble and rebel against our Sun family, so that our army can justifiably catch them all in one fell swoop and completely control the land of Jiangdong?"

Zhou Yu smiled and said, "Brother, you are extremely intelligent and you understand everything at once. That's right. Besides, it's not that serious. If Cao Cao is defeated, then this Jingzhou land..."

An extraordinary light flashed in Sun Ce's eyes...

(End of this chapter)