Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 803 Yizhou Imperial Edict
After a day and a night of hard travel, Cao's army finally arrived at Chenjun. Cao Cao integrated the scattered troops from all over Yuzhou and guarded the important roads and passes at the junction of Yanzhou and Yuzhou. Only then did he feel slightly relieved.

Cao Cao had just finished dealing with a bunch of military and political affairs and felt exhausted.

At this time, Cheng Yu and Guo Jia walked in. When Cao Cao saw them, the fatigue on his face disappeared instantly.

"How is it? Have you found out any news?" he asked anxiously.

Guo Jia bowed and said, "My lord, Liu He is indeed in Chenliu. Three days ago, he summoned civil and military officials in Chenliu City and lavishly rewarded them. Among them..."

Having said this, he looked up at Cao Cao, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Now that things have come to this, if there is anything that cannot be mentioned, please tell me."

Guo Jia then continued: "Among them, Chen Gong was appointed as the governor of Chenliu..."

The atmosphere in the room froze instantly. None of the three people made a sound. For a moment, you could hear a pin drop.

After a long time, Cao Cao said in an inexplicable tone: "Okay...Okay, old thief Chen Gong really colluded with Liu He to harm me."

Seeing his expression, Cheng Yu was afraid that he was upset, so he hurried to comfort him: "My lord, don't worry. Chen Gong and I have different ambitions. As the saying goes, everyone has their own ambitions. Since he has made his choice, my lord should be more motivated and retake Yanzhou."

After hearing what he said, Cao Cao's eyebrows moved and his whole aura became fiercer.

"Hehe, Chen Gong, ah Chen Gong, sooner or later I will retake Yanzhou, capture you, and skin you alive!"

He changed the subject and asked again: "By the way, Yuan Rang and Miao Cai and the others..."

"I have already found out about this matter. Liu He ordered that the two generals and more than 100,000 captives and surrendered soldiers be detained in Chenliu for a period of time. After the situation in Yanzhou stabilizes, they will return to Luoyang with the returning army to make a decision."

Cao Cao's expression was somewhat relieved when he heard this. "So, their lives are not in danger for now. As long as we have time, we can find a way to rescue them later. For now, we must first defend Yuzhou and second, expand our strength. Otherwise, everything will be in vain."

Cheng Yu said: "It is a blessing for us that the lord has such an ambition. But now our army has been almost completely destroyed. It will not be easy to make a comeback and restore our prestige."

Cao Cao nodded and said, "Yes, I have been unable to sleep recently because of this matter. I wonder if Zhongde and Fengxiao have any good ideas?"

Cheng Yu seemed to have a plan in mind, and immediately replied: "My lord, I think there are two strategies that can be used."

Cao Cao became interested: "Oh? Tell me quickly."

Cheng Yu held up a finger and said, "First, although many of our soldiers died or were captured in this battle, we have stored most of our food and military equipment in Yuzhou, so there is no loss. Yuzhou, as well as the cities in Xuzhou where General Cao Ren, Yu Jin and others are stationed, have a large population. You can use this money and food to recruit soldiers. In less than half a year, you can recruit at least 150,000 people."

"Well, this matter is very urgent and should be done immediately. What about the second plan?" Cao Cao was a little anxious.

Cheng Yu raised his second finger and said, "With only Yuzhou and half of Xuzhou, even if you try your best, it will be difficult for you to compete with Liu He. Therefore, Your Majesty should expand your territory."

Cao Cao was in a dilemma. "Now that Liang Province has been completely pacified, the entire You Province has also been occupied by Liu He. He directly governs the six provinces of Liang, Si, Bing, Ji, You, and Yan. Qing Province and the other half of Xu Province have also submitted to him. Liu He has occupied more than half of the world. It is extremely difficult for our army to expand in all directions. Liu Bei in the east, Liu Biao in the south, Liu Yao and Sun Jian in the southeast are not easy to deal with."

Cheng Yu just sneered.

"My lord is so wise, how could he not know that these people are mostly people with empty reputations? With my lord's wisdom and the current strength of our army, it is not difficult for us to achieve something."

Cao Cao's eyes lit up: "Oh? It seems that Zhongde has a plan?"

Cheng Yu was not polite and said, "Although Liu Yao of Yangzhou is a mediocre ruler who lacks wisdom and courage, Yangzhou is full of rivers, so we must use the navy to attack. Moreover, Sun Jian is brave and our army is not good at naval warfare, so it is difficult to spy on him." "The same is true for Jingzhou. Except for Nanyang County, the rest of the counties cannot be captured without naval warfare. Moreover, their ruler Liu Biao is old and his son Liu Qi is incompetent. We only need to wait for Liu Biao to die of illness, and then Jingzhou will be in chaos. Then we can take advantage of the opportunity and attack, which is the best strategy."

Cao Cao nodded repeatedly after hearing this: "Every word Zhongde said makes sense. What he meant was that our army should take Liu Bei from Xuzhou?"

"Yes, if we capture the northern part of Xuzhou, firstly, we can expand our army's power, and secondly, we can open up the road to Qingzhou. Thirdly, we can capture more of Liu Bei's troops and recruit them to surrender. It can be said that we can achieve three goals with one stone."

Cao Cao frowned slightly, "That's true, but I think Liu Bei is a man who can bend and stretch, and is both civil and military, and is a hero. Jiang Huan and Zhang Fei under his command are enemies of ten thousand people. Shen Pei and Tian Feng are also good people of the time. Xuzhou has a lot of soldiers and horses, so it's not easy to capture it."

"No." Cheng Yu said, "My lord, have you forgotten that you have a brilliant backup plan in Xuzhou? With this, defeating Liu Bei and seizing Xuzhou will be a piece of cake. After the success, we will march into Qingzhou. With the abilities of Kong Rong, Jiao He and others, they are not worth mentioning at all. At that time, my lord will be sitting on the three states of Qing, Xu and Yu. If we send troops from three directions, it will be just around the corner to retake Yanzhou."

Cao Cao was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"Haha... I really have a bad memory. How could I forget such an important matter? Okay, let's do it. The whole army will rest for ten days, and then send an order to the troops in Xuzhou to attack Donghai County from both sides."

At this moment, all the gloom in his expression was gone, and he looked extremely happy.

At this moment, a man ran to the door and said, "My lord, someone from Yizhou came to deliver the imperial decree and has arrived outside the palace."

Cao Cao was slightly surprised: "An imperial decree from old Liu Yan? What could it be about?"

Guo Jia said: "Our army now openly respects Liu Yan as the emperor. We should obey his imperial edict and treat the envoys with courtesy, otherwise we will be criticized."

Cao Cao was somewhat reluctant, but he had no choice: "Well, please let the messenger in."

Not long after, a man dressed as a civil servant walked in arrogantly.

"Chenliu King Cao Cao received the order..."

"Your servant Cao Cao has received your order..."

The civil servant unfolded the imperial edict and read: "The Emperor, in compliance with the Will of Heaven, declares: Cao Cao, the Prince of Chenliu, was ordered to go to war to contain the traitor Liu He, but he was ineffective in the battle, suffered heavy casualties, and lost Yanzhou. His crimes are grave and he should be sentenced to death. However, I, in consideration of your past meritorious service, allow you to serve your sentence and make meritorious contributions. I order you to lead the troops to attack Jingzhou so that I can open up the road out of Sichuan. When you succeed, you will be rewarded. I decree this."

Cao Cao was startled. "Attack Jingzhou? My Yuzhou troops are all ground infantry. How can we capture the southern water city? Your Majesty is in Yizhou. You can go down the river and take Jingzhou as easily as taking something out of your pocket. Why bother with this?"

"How outrageous!" the civil servant scolded harshly.

"As a subject, how can you make arbitrary comments on His Majesty's order? His Majesty has his own reasons for ordering you to attack Jingzhou. You just need to obey his orders. Why bother to say more?"

"you……"

Cao Cao's eyes opened wide and he was about to explode, but he quickly calmed down.

"Okay, okay. Thank you for your guidance. I know I was wrong, and I will obey your orders."

The civil servant handed the imperial edict to him and sneered, "You are quite sensible. Cao Mengde, oh Cao Mengde, please do not disappoint His Majesty again this time."

After that, he turned and left.

(End of this chapter)