Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 947 Taking advantage of the situation
Zhu Ye was still in a melee with Dian Wei and Xu Chu. The three of them had fought for over a hundred rounds, but Zhu Ye was much stronger than the other two in terms of strength, skills, endurance, and even combat experience. Although he was at a disadvantage at the moment, he had only suffered minor injuries. It was difficult for the two to really defeat him for a while.

On the other hand, Gao Shun, who was seriously injured and unconscious, was carried by several of his men and ran as fast as he could, trying to escape the encirclement and meet up with the Han soldiers outside the woods. After all, they were already deep in the forest, three or four miles away from the soldiers outside the forest. In addition, there were thick forests blocking the way, so even if the sounds of fighting resounded through the sky, the Han soldiers would not be able to hear anything.

However, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan and Huang Zhong, the three of them, led the light cavalry and attacked in all directions. They did not linger in a fight with them. Every time they attacked, they fought for a while, blocked their progress, and then quickly retreated. When they were about to continue on their way with Gao Shun on their backs, they attacked again.

After more than half an hour, several generals had only run less than a mile, while thousands of soldiers around them had been killed or wounded. This made them anxious and angry, but they had no idea what to do.

Cao Cao was still a little worried and said, "Gao Shun faked his death last time and deceived me so badly. Will he..."

"I don't think so." Xi Zhong took over his words: "The archery skills of Generals Xiahou Yuan and Huang Zhong should be comparable to that of Ye Xiang, the sharpshooter under Liu He. If they both shoot at the same time, no matter how great the archer is, he will definitely die. Moreover, two sharp arrows shot into his body, Gao Shun vomited blood, and was thrown away. We saw it with our own eyes, it can't be fake."

"Zhicai's words make sense. Even if Gao Shun has the armor protecting him, he must be seriously injured and on the verge of death. Unless the great doctor Hua Tuo treats him immediately, he may have a chance of survival. However, Hua Tuo is far away in Luoyang, and Gao Shun can't get out of this forest at all. My lord, don't worry too much."

Hearing Cheng Yu say this, Cao Cao's expression relaxed a little.

"Well, this is the best. We have suffered many setbacks at the hands of Gao Shun, and now that he has been killed like this, it really makes me feel deeply moved."

He looked at Gao Shun lying on the back of a man from a distance and sighed: "Alas... Gao Shun was a great hero, but now he has died in my hands. It is really a pity. After this battle is over, I will collect his body and give him a grand funeral with the power of a duke."

"My lord is benevolent and kind. He will surely win the hearts of all the soldiers in the world." Everyone praised loudly.

Cao Cao suddenly turned around and asked Guo Jia: "Fengxiao, have you made any progress in investigating Liu He's paper books?"

Guo Jia said with a guilty look on his face, "Forgive me for my incompetence. Liu He kept this matter extremely secret. Where were those paper books produced and then transported to Luoyang? Also, how was this flawless, jade-like, peerless paper made? Who was in charge of this matter? All of this, I have never found out a single thing."

Cao Cao was not surprised. "Well, this is also expected. Whoever can control such a treasure is equivalent to controlling the hearts of scholars in the world. How could Liu He not guard it strictly? I am afraid that even Guan Yu, Xun Yu and others do not know the details. It is really too difficult for you to find out the information in such a short time."

Cheng Yu sighed, "I never thought Liu He would have such a trick. In the Han Dynasty, even Caihou paper, a one-foot square sheet, would be sold for a hundred coins, and Zuo Bo paper would be 30% more expensive. But these papers are completely different from the paper made by Liu He. His paper alone, if sold for seven or eight hundred coins per sheet, would definitely be snapped up and sold out. What's more, the printing technique is unique in the world, extremely wonderful, and can be said to be the work of a god."

"Zhongde is right." Cao Cao's face was a little gloomy. "We have tried our best to win the hearts of most scholars in the world, but Liu He has won them back again with just these few books. Many of the noble families who flocked here at the beginning are now thinking of leaving again. There are also many people who still keep their property in Yuzhou and Jingzhou, but send all their young men to Luoyang. Even if they fail to enter the Imperial College, they will continue to stay and work hard to take the exam again next year. All our efforts in the past years have been wasted, and I really don't want to accept it."

Guo Jia hurriedly said, "My lord, you don't have to do this. Although Liu He's actions are confidential, the truth will eventually come out. Such large-scale papermaking and book printing will inevitably reveal clues over time. Moreover, as long as we win this battle, Zhang Yong and Gao Shun will die, the Golden Sword Camp and the Han Wuzu will be destroyed, and our army will be able to capture Luoyang in no time."

After hearing Guo Jia's analysis, Cao Cao regained his spirits: "Not bad, not bad. Fengxiao still understands my heart best."

At the same time, Liu He, who was far away in Luoyang, was in a state of panic and had no idea what to do, when suddenly a carrier pigeon landed in the yard.

Liu He's eyes lit up, and he ran out in two steps to take the urgent item off the pigeon's leg.

In a flash, Liu He's face, which was originally full of worry, turned into excitement and surprise.

"Haha, I see, that's how it is. The battle of Yuzhou will no longer be a suspense."

Xun Yu and Qian Li were extremely surprised when they saw the sudden change in Liu He's expression.

"Your Majesty, I don't know..."

Xun Yu asked tentatively.

Liu He handed him the urgent document and said, "Wen Ruo and Dao Zhun can read it for theirselves."

The two of them looked down and were also very happy. Xun Yu laughed and scolded: "This guy actually kept your majesty in the dark about this matter. I will definitely teach him a lesson later."

Qian Li smiled and said, "I congratulate Your Majesty in advance on recovering Yuzhou and unifying the country, achieving eternal greatness."

In the woods, a man was riding a fast horse and running quickly towards Cao Cao.

"Report... My Lord, General Li Dian, General Wei Yan, and the two princes Cao Shu and Cao Chun have led 60,000 troops and have captured the two cities of Chen County and Changping County. They are reorganizing the soldiers and preparing to attack Chenliu County."

"Good!" Cao Cao was overjoyed.

"Congratulations, my lord." Cheng Yu and others congratulated him.

"Now Gao Shun's escape route has been cut off, and he can no longer escape."

Cao Cao stroked his beard, very satisfied. "It is rare for Anmin and Zihe to perform so well. But Wei Yan was originally a surrendered general from Jingzhou. I overlooked him at the beginning because of Huang Hansheng, a top general. Now it seems that he is also a talented general. He should be used in the future."

Guo Jia's eyes flickered, and he had a different opinion: "My lord, I think Wei Yan is born rebellious and conceited. He likes to brag a lot and has had quarrels with many generals in the army. My lord should be cautious."

Cao Cao, however, did not take it seriously. He waved his hand and said, "If you employ someone, trust him. If you doubt him, don't employ him. If I, Cao, cannot even control Wei Yan, how can I defeat Liu He and pacify the world?"

Guo Jia bowed and said, "My lord, what you said makes sense. It is I who am short-sighted."

At noon on the day when Cao Cao launched the offensive, that is, more than half a day before this moment, outside the city of Changping, about 120 to 130 miles away from the battlefield, a large group of troops was marching northward.

The commander of this group of troops was Li Dian, one of the generals of other surnames under Cao Cao. In addition, there were Cao Shu as the deputy general, Wei Yan as the vanguard, and Cao Chun who led 3,000 heavily armed cavalry to support the army.

Wei Yan rode a tall brown horse and walked behind Li Dian. Although he was a deputy general, he held his head high at this time and did not shy away from looking at Li Dian who was walking in front of him, as well as the two Cao brothers on both sides, with disdain flashing in the corners of his eyes from time to time.

"Hmph, looking at these three men, they are so thin that even if they are tied together, they are no match for me. My lord actually wants me to be their vanguard. As the saying goes, speed is the essence of war. Li Dian marches so slowly, and Cao Chun is even more stupid. He leads the cavalry, but does not know how to inquire first and wants to go with the main force, and does not listen to my good advice. If I were the commander of this army, I am afraid they would have been under the city of Chenliu by now..." Li Dian, Cao Shu and Cao Chun were not top generals in Cao's army. Wei Yan thought that his talents were above theirs, but now he was inferior to them. Naturally, he felt indignant.

Li Dian seemed to notice the prying eyes from behind him. He turned his head to look at Wei Yan, then smiled gently.

"Wen Chang, our army has won two consecutive victories, why are you still so depressed?"

Wei Yan had no choice but to lower his head slightly, clasped his fists and said: "I am not unhappy, I am just thinking about the tactics next time."

"Oh?" Li Dian became interested: "Then in your opinion, what is the best way for our army to march?"

At this time, Cao Shu, who was not far away, sneered: "Tsk... You are just a nobody, a surrendered general from Jingzhou, what good ideas can you have? We only allowed you to join the army because we saw that you are brave. Now our army's morale is high and the enemy is unprepared. No matter how we fight this battle, we will win. Why do we need you to think about any tactics? Humph, you overestimate your abilities."

"You..." Wei Yan was so angry at his ridicule that his face turned red, but the other party was his lord's nephew, and as a subordinate, he did not dare to refute. He could only turn his head away and stop talking.

"Hey, harmony is the most important thing in the army. You two should not quarrel, or it will disrupt the morale of the army."

Li Dian tried to persuade him. He was a famous Confucian general in Cao's army, known for his gentle temperament. Cao Shu often asked him for advice and had some respect for him. Therefore, when he saw that he had spoken, he stopped mocking Wei Yan.

The army marched for half a day when a scout came back and said, "General, fifteen miles ahead is Fugou City. Although the city has flags flying and the garrison is patrolling, it looks like there are only a few soldiers, no more than five or six thousand."

Li Dian nodded: "Okay, I understand. Please continue to explore."

"Great." Cao Shu clapped his hands and said, "The situation in Fugou City is not much different from that in Changping and Chen County, and they are completely unaware of the loss of the two counties. If our army suddenly attacks, we will be able to capture it easily as we did before."

Cao Chun also said: "We can take this city and march forward for another day. We should be able to reach Chenliu City tomorrow morning. General Li, why don't you let me lead the cavalry first? I will definitely capture the city."

Li Dian waved his hand and said, "General, you are eager to make achievements, which is understandable. However, you have also seen in the previous two battles that although the defenders are small, they are after all the soldiers under Gao Shun, and their method of defending the city is really extraordinary. We attacked them with ten times the number of troops in the early morning, and it took us several hours to capture the city. The general's cavalry is not good at siege warfare, so it will be inconvenient for you to go there, so it is better for you to go with the main army."

Cao Chun frowned slightly, a little disappointed, but Cao Cao had specifically instructed him before he left that all military affairs in this battle must be under the command of Li Dian, and he must not rely on his status to commit crimes, so he could only obey orders.

"Tsk... dandy youngster..." Wei Yan felt disdainful and turned his head away, not bothering to look at them.

The four-man army of tens of thousands quickened its march and finally arrived at the gate of Fugu City.

As expected, when the defenders saw a large number of enemy troops suddenly approaching, they were all extremely panicked and blew their horns. Soon, under the command of several defenders, teams of soldiers on the city wall began to run.

Li Dian showed admiration on his face: "Gao Shun is truly a famous general in the world. Facing a surprise attack by an enemy force ten times his size, he was able to command the troops on the battlefield without any confusion. There are not many such good generals in our army, but under Gao Shun's rule, all the city garrisons in Yanzhou are like this, which is really rare. Fortunately, he has only been in Yanzhou for a short time. If he is allowed to stay here for five or six years, he should be able to make Yanzhou as solid as a rock. By then, I am afraid that even if the lord comes in person, it may not be easy to capture it."

Wei Yan glanced at him and said, "General, how should our army attack? Please give us the order."

Li Dian was not angry at his somewhat disrespectful tone: "Pass the order down, block the entire city, focus on the east gate, and attack."

"Kill..." Tens of thousands of troops marched towards the city gate in a mighty force.

Soon, ladders were placed on the city walls, and siege vehicles were also violently ramming the city gates.

Before long, teams of Cao's soldiers climbed onto the city wall and began fighting fiercely with the defenders.

Although Cao's army had a large number of troops, their soldiers were not as strong as the Han army. The two sides fought on the city wall for a long time, but Cao's army did not gain any advantage. As many as 70% of the corpses that fell off the city wall were from Cao's army.

However, Li Dian and others did not seem surprised by this.

Tens of thousands of troops were soon completely deadlocked at the city walls and gates.

"It seems that this battle is not easy. It will take several hours to capture this city. I am afraid that we can only enter the city after dark."

Li Dian sighed, and the others did not express any objection.

However, at this moment, a deafening shout of killing suddenly came from behind them.

"Kill it..."

"Kill all Cao's troops..."

Li Dian and others were shocked and looked back hurriedly. The scene before them frightened them greatly.

They saw tens of thousands of soldiers and horses appearing several miles behind them, with flags flying, shouts of killing, and the sound of horse hooves all coming into their ears, which excited them and tens of thousands of Cao's soldiers.

"Where did the Han army come from? Chenliu had a total of 130,000 to 140,000 soldiers and horses. In addition to those who stayed behind to guard various cities, Gao Shun took away 100,000 troops. How could... how could there be such a large army?"

Cao Shu almost roared out these words.

Among the oncoming army, there was a figure - Xun You.

He looked at the city in front of him and the Cao army outside the city, and smiled slightly: "Cao Cao, oh Cao Cao, this is a trick of taking advantage of the enemy's strategy. I wonder if you can bear it?"

(End of this chapter)