Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 965 Cao Cao's Secret Agent
"Big brother..."

Jiang Huan tiptoed to the outside of Liu Bei's house, looked around for a while, and then pushed the door open and walked in.

Liu Bei seemed to have been waiting for him here for a long time. When he saw him coming, he stood up and greeted him: "How is it?"

Jiang Huan panted heavily: "Huh... I found out, Cao... Cao Cao's side..."

"Wait." Liu Bei waved his hand to signal him to stop reporting, walked to the window, looked out, then closed the window, walked to his desk and poured a cup of tea.

"Come, drink a glass of water first."

"Thank you, big brother." Jiang Huan took the cup of water, raised his head and drank it all in one gulp, took a deep breath, and soon calmed down.

"Brother, your predictions are brilliant and never fail. The situation in Yuzhou is exactly as you predicted."

Jiang Huan was full of admiration. Liu Bei tapped the back of his hand with his fingers and scolded him with a smile: "Why do you have to make fun of me, second brother? You know very well how I could predict this. Tell me the details."

Jiang Huan smiled and continued, "Zhang Yong and Gao Shun's army fought Cao Cao in Ancheng for several days. The battle was so fierce that no one had a chance of winning."

"Well, that's natural. Although Cao Cao is a traitor to the Han Dynasty, his military command skills are rare in the world. He has been dormant in Yu and Jing for the past two years, growing stronger and creating many types of troops and tactics specifically targeting the Golden Blade Camp and the Han Wuzu. Moreover, he built Ancheng like an iron barrel. Even if Zhang Yong and Gao Shun are the best generals of the time, it is not easy for them to conquer this city."

"Brother, you are right. That's exactly the case." Jiang Huan praised.

"Generals Zhang and Gao attacked fiercely and advanced and retreated in an orderly manner. With the help of the Thunderbolt Chariot and the Fire Beast, the city gates and walls were already unable to hold out on the second day. However, Cao Cao saw that Zhu Ye was still recovering from his injuries and that the two generals did not have top-notch generals to help them. Therefore, he repeatedly sent Xiahou Dun, Xu Chu and other generals to charge out of the city to disrupt the formation and morale of the imperial army. After gaining the upper hand several times, they were disrupted by Cao's army."

Liu Bei walked back to his seat, sat down, and gestured for Jiang Huan to sit next to him.

"When armies fight, military tactics are important, but charging with brave generals is also the key to victory. If Zhu Ye were safe and sound, Cao Cao would probably be dead by now. Although this villain is hateful, he has a vicious vision."

"Who says it isn't? But the key to victory or defeat does not lie in this."

Jiang Huan's tone was somewhat mysterious, which aroused Liu Bei's interest. "Oh? I only knew that Cao Cao would tamper with the armies of Xu Huang and Qian Zhao, but I couldn't guess what means he would use to defeat these two famous generals with 160,000 soldiers."

Jiang Huan pointed his finger to the south: "Since Cao the thief dares to persuade my brother to form an alliance with him, how can he give up the one in Jiangdong?"

Liu Bei's expression changed slightly: "Sun Jian? How dare he be so blatantly hostile to the imperial court?"

Jiang Huan shook his head. "Of course he wouldn't dare to do it openly, but he is good at disrupting things secretly. He sent his eldest son Sun Ce to pretend to be Cao's army and raid Generals Xu and Qian who came to Lu'an County to attract their attention. At the same time, he made the grain convoys behind them believe that where there is a large army, it must be very safe, so the grain convoys chose to take a shortcut and take the mountain path."

Liu Bei suddenly realized: "I think Sun Jian must have sent his troops to set up an ambush on the mountain road, robbed the food and grass, and caused chaos in the imperial army."

"Brother, you are smart, that's true." Jiang Huan said, "Cheng Liang led his troops to capture Shenyang City. On the way, he got help from the eldest prince Liu Zheng and was able to defeat Dian Wei, cutting off Cao's army's retreat and the grain transportation route from Jingzhou. Originally, the court's troops were full of confidence and believed that they would win this battle. Suddenly, they encountered this change and the situation reversed, and their morale was inevitably lost. Cao Cao took this opportunity and led his entire army out of the city, killing the four generals Zhang, Gao, Xu, and Qian and defeating them."

"Okay." Liu Bei punched the table with an extremely excited expression.

"Everything is going as expected. Since Sun Jian has already taken action, our army can also implement the combat plan."

Jiang Huan was also very happy, but then he frowned again: "But, brother, as a relative of the Han Dynasty, it is not good for you to openly rebel against the court. If you want to cooperate with Cao thief, you should find a reason."

"Cooperation? Humph..." Liu Bei showed disdain: "Cao Cao is a traitor to the country. How can he cooperate with me? I will get rid of him sooner or later."

After he finished speaking, he murmured again, "But what my second brother said is also reasonable. The reason... It's hard to figure out at the moment, but there's no need to worry. Now there are constant conflicts inside and outside the court. Sooner or later, we will be given a legitimate reason... Go, bring Chen Qun to see me first."

"As you command," Jiang Huan accepted the order and immediately stepped out.

Liu Bei opened the window again. It was drizzling in the sky. In the courtyard outside his house, a pine tree that seemed to have been dilapidated for a long time actually grew a few fresh branches.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you and I are both descendants of the Liu family. Seeing that you are unable to handle this situation, why don't you let me, your royal brother, help you to add fuel to the fire..."

Liu Bei looked up at the sky, his eyes gleaming with brilliance...

"Your Majesty..." Xun Yu walked up to Liu He holding a report.

"Our army was badly defeated in the battle of Ancheng. Generals Zhang Yong and Gao Shun lost about 30,000 soldiers. General Xu Huang and Qian Zhao lost about 24,000 soldiers. Now General Zhang is stationed in Shangcai County, Runan County, and General Gao Shun is stationed in Pingyu City. General Xu Huang is stationed in Yangquan, and General Qian Zhao is stationed in Hefei, to rest for the time being."

"As expected."

Liu He received a letter from a flying eagle two days ago, and learned that Sun Jian had secretly mobilized tens of thousands of troops. At the same time, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, who were originally stationed in Chaisang and Pengze respectively, suddenly disappeared. The governor of Yangzhou, Liu Yao, was suddenly killed by an assassin at home three days ago. At that time, he guessed that the Cao and Sun families had already secretly united.

However, Sun Jian had always been a vassal of the imperial court, so in order to avoid gossip from the world, he had to pretend to be Cao's army. He himself did not dare to show up in public, and could only send out Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, who had never had contact with the imperial troops, to avoid being recognized by Xu Huang and others.

"Your Majesty, this battle is the biggest defeat the court has suffered since your Majesty ascended the throne. Although the court is strong, the loss of 50,000 to 60,000 soldiers is not a serious loss. However, the soldiers have always been accustomed to winning battles. Even if they lose, they have never suffered such a huge loss. Now that they have suffered such a great defeat, I am afraid that it will affect the morale of the army."

Xun Yu said with some worry.

Liu He waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about that. In the army, from the generals to the soldiers, they have gradually become arrogant in recent years, and they have the intention of looking down on the heroes of the world. After this defeat, it is not a bad thing to let them learn a lesson. However, this battle shows that Cao Cao and Sun Jian have secretly formed an alliance. Liu Yao's death must have been caused by Sun Jian. Now he has annexed about 35,000 people from the governor's mansion and controlled the entire Yangzhou. In addition, he has recruited soldiers in recent years, and now his military strength is probably no less than 200,000. If the two of them join forces, it will be difficult to deal with them."

Xun Yu walked to the huge map hanging on the wall and pointed at Xuzhou. "I don't know what Liu Bei in Xuzhou is planning now. Not long ago, when Qingzhou was in trouble with pirates, Your Majesty appointed him to lead the army into Qingzhou to quell the rebellion. If this man also colluded with Cao thieves, he would have swept Qingzhou overnight. By then, Cao, Sun, and Liu would join forces. Even if Liu Yan of Yizhou is seriously ill and poses no threat, the situation in the world would be very unfavorable to the court."

"That makes sense." Liu He looked up at the map of Qingzhou and Xuzhou. "I will issue an order to transfer Taishan Prefect Zhao Jin to Qingzhou Governor, Military Advisor General Xu Shu to Beihai Prefect, Chenliu Prefect Chen Gong to Anle Prefect. In addition, Weijun Prefect Cui Jun was transferred to Jizhou Governor, and ordered to collect 1 million dan of military grain from Jizhou and secretly store it in Jinan for use at any time. Zhao Yun was ordered to hand over Youzhou military affairs to Tian Yu and Tian Chou, and immediately lead the Feiyu Cavalry to the south and station in Weijun. The former Beihai Prefect Kong Rong, who is old, will return to Luoyang immediately to succeed the post of Grand Coachman."

"The minister obeys the order."

Xun Yu was about to withdraw his draft, but Liu He added: "Remember, all these matters must be kept confidential. No news can be leaked before all officials actually take office, so as to prevent Cao Cao, Liu Bei and others from secretly sabotaging and causing trouble."

"According to the order."

However, what they did not notice was that under a window on the side of the study, there was a little eunuch standing, listening attentively to the sounds in the room.

Just at this moment, Gong Saner just turned here and immediately found him.

"Be bold!"

When the young eunuch saw that he had been discovered, his legs went limp with fear and he knelt down. "Gong... Gong Changshi... your servant... your servant..."

Gong Saner walked up to him and kicked him to the ground. "You ignorant bastard, what kind of place is this? Do you think you can come here? Whose bastard's subordinate are you?"

"I am... I am new to the palace... I am..."

The young eunuch knelt on the ground, trembling all over. His face turned extremely pale in an instant, cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and his lips trembled when he spoke.

"You are looking for death, someone come here..."

Gong Saner shouted, and the young eunuch felt dizzy and his body collapsed.

"Gong Saner, why are you making noise outside?" Liu He came out in person, and Gong Saner knelt down hurriedly.

"Your Majesty, it was a young eunuch who had just entered the palace and didn't know the rules, so he ran here. I was just about to order someone to drag him away and punish him, but I didn't want to alarm Your Majesty. He deserves to be put to death."

Liu He glanced at the young eunuch and said, "Looking at his appearance, he didn't do it on purpose. Since he's new here, he just needs to be trained. How about this, fine him two months' salary, and then you send someone to teach him well. Don't let anyone get killed so easily."

Gong San'er naturally dared not disobey: "Your Majesty's kindness has moved heaven and earth. On behalf of this little servant, I would like to thank Your Majesty for his grace."

After saying that, he turned around and glared at the young eunuch: "Why don't you thank me?"

The young eunuch kowtowed repeatedly as if he had been pardoned. Liu He waved his hands, and Gong Saner called two imperial guards to carry the young eunuch away quickly.

However, at nightfall, the Beitun Gate in the northeast corner of the imperial palace, which should have been closed at this moment, was tiptoed along the palace wall to the door as the patrolling royal guards passed by.

With a slight "creaky" sound, the palace door was opened a little.

There was a sound of footsteps outside, and then a hand reached in. The black shadow took out a piece of cloth from his arms and handed it to the hand, and the other party immediately retreated.

The black shadow carefully closed the palace door again, inserted the bolt, and disappeared into the darkness.

In Ancheng, Cao Cao, who had just finished inspecting the city defenses, returned to his mansion. His servants hurried over and took off his armor for him.

"My lord." Cheng Yu and others stood up and greeted him.

"Everyone, please take a seat." Cao Cao waved his hand and then asked, "How is General Dian Wei?"

"My lord, rest assured. Although General Dian is seriously injured and has a heart attack, he is fine after being treated by the military doctor."

Cheng Yu's words made Cao Cao feel relieved.

"My lord..." A servant came running over: "General Dian has woken up and insisted on coming to apologize to my lord. I managed to persuade him to stop, so I came to ask for your instructions..."

Before he could finish his words, Cao Cao rushed out.

In the room, Dian Wei struggled to get up from the bed, and several servants around him kept trying to dissuade him.

Cao Cao pushed the door open and came in. When Dian Wei saw him, he turned over and rolled off the bed.

"My lord, I am guilty... ahem..."

"Zhong Wei..." Cao Cao stepped forward quickly and personally helped Dian Wei back to the bed. At the same time, he waved his hand, signaling the servants to go out.

Dian Wei’s face was filled with regret: “My lord, I deserve to die… Not only did I lose Shenyang City, but I also… caused the annihilation of 20,000 soldiers. They were killed and buried alive by Cheng Liang. This… This is all my fault, it is my fault… cough cough cough… cough cough cough cough…”

He was so emotional that he couldn't help coughing violently.

Cao Cao patted him on the back and said, "Zhongwei, you don't have to blame yourself. The Luoyang troops are more powerful than ours, which is expected. It was my mistake to send you the same number of troops as the enemy to stop us."

“No… I disobeyed the order of the lord and cancelled the ambush without authorization. Otherwise… otherwise it would not have ended like this… Please punish me according to military law… ahem…”

"Hey, what nonsense are you talking about? You and Da Meng have known each other since childhood and are as close as brothers. You certainly can't just sit there and watch him die in an ambush trap. It's my fault for not thinking it through. It's not your fault."

Cao Cao's words made Dian Wei feel even more ashamed: "My lord... I am a humble general..."

"Okay, no need to say more, you need to rest and recuperate. Although our army won this battle by chance, our strength is still far inferior to Liu He. I still need a brave and invincible General Dian Wei to charge into battle for me, pacify the world, and bring peace to the people of the Han Dynasty. You must not get hurt. Also, I promise that no matter whether that fierce man surrenders to me or not, if I capture him one day, I will forgive his past and take good care of him."

"My lord..." Dian Wei, the mighty and strong man, was deeply moved and burst into tears at this moment.

"My lord, you are so kind and generous. I, even if I sacrifice my life, cannot repay you even a little bit..."

Cheng Yu walked into the room and bowed, saying, "My Lord, there is news from Luoyang."

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao comforted Dian Wei with a few more words, then called for a servant to change the bandage on Dian Wei's wound, and then left the room.

"How is it? What is Liu He's plan?"

"Liu He had guessed that the attackers of Xu Huang were Sun Jian's troops from Jiangdong. He also expected that Liu Bei might form an alliance with our army and use it to quell the pirate rebellion and seize Qingzhou. Therefore, he secretly sent Chen Gong, Xu Shu, and Zhao Jin to guard Qingzhou. At the same time, he ordered Jizhou to collect food and grass, and appointed Zhao Yun as the general to march south from Youzhou to resist Liu Bei. He deliberately kept this secret, and his subordinates thought that he wanted to wait until Liu Bei's rebellion was confirmed, and then suddenly launch an attack and annihilate him in one fell swoop."

Cao Cao nodded and said, "As expected of Liu He, he reacts so quickly. If he succeeds, not only will our three-party coalition lose one side, but Xuzhou will fall into Liu He's hands in an instant. His Jizhou troops will march straight in, and our army will be unable to take care of both ends, and defeat is imminent."

Cheng Yu smiled and said, "However, he never dreamed that there were many spies of our army hiding around him. I'm afraid Xu Shu and others haven't received his imperial edict yet, but the lord has known it first."

Cao Cao said with some pride: "Liu He has always been very proud of his intelligence forces. How could he have expected that I would use the same method against him?"

"My lord is wise. But I don't know how we should deal with this situation now?"

Cao Cao thought for a moment, walked into the courtyard, and casually broke off a branch: "It seems that our army must first help Liu Bei, take the initiative, and seize Qingzhou..."

(End of this chapter)