Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 978: Enemies Behind Each Other's Backs
In the backyard of Ancheng County Government, Cao Cao was practicing swordplay. Although his swordsmanship was not top-notch, he was good at both offense and defense. When he swung the Qingguang sword, it was impenetrable.

Xi Zhong walked in, watched for a while, and after Cao Cao finished dancing, he clapped and cheered.

"Good! My lord, your swordsmanship is improving day by day."

Cao Cao sheathed the Qingguang sword and glanced at him: "Zhicai, there is no need to mock me. I know my own martial arts skills very well."

"Haha, my lord, you are too modest. Although your martial arts skills are not as good as those of Xiahou, Dian, Xu, Huang and other generals, there are only a few people in our army who have such martial arts skills. So, your martial arts skills can be ranked in the top ten in the army, which is rare."

"Hahaha..." Cao Cao was somewhat pleased with what he heard. "You, you are the only one who can say such words to coax me. Tell me, what's the matter?"

He came to a pavilion and motioned Xizhong to sit down and talk.

"Thank you, my lord."

Xi Zhong sat up straight and said, "Yesterday, General Xiahou Yuan ambushed Zhang Yong. Unexpectedly, the enemy seemed to have been prepared. Although they were ambushed, they remained calm. General Xiahou fought with them until late at night, but it was difficult to win. Both sides retreated and set up camps on both sides of the river."

After hearing the battle report, Cao Cao's expression did not change at all.

"This is also to be expected. Zhang Yong and Gao Shun are both known for their strict military discipline and good training of soldiers. Naturally, they will not be easily defeated by an ambush. I did not expect to eliminate them by this. I have other ways to deal with them."

"My lord is wise."

Although Xi Zhong didn't know what other methods Cao Cao mentioned, he didn't ask much, but took out the second battle report.

"General Wei Yan set up an ambush in Xinmang Valley, using our army's food as bait to lure Gao Shun to come and rob the food. Gao Shun really came with his army."

"Oh? Gao Shun fell into the trap?" Cao Cao looked happy.

Xi Zhong shook his head in embarrassment. "Gao Shun not only did not fall for the trick, but he also used it against the enemy. He ordered a young general to pretend to be him to lure out the ambush. Then he personally led the troops to attack from the rear. General Wei Yan was badly defeated and fled in panic with only a few thousand soldiers."

"Bang..." Cao Cao had just raised the kettle, but before he could pour out a drop of water, he lost his grip and it fell to the ground.

"Gao Shun was able to see through my plan of luring the enemy deep into our territory?"

Xi Zhong said: "According to the report, Xun You is in Gao Shun's army and is at his service. I'm afraid that the lord's plan was ruined by this man."

"Hmph..." Cao Cao snorted, "It seems that I still underestimated this Xun Gongda. Food and grass are the most important thing in the army. I deliberately used Liu He's intelligence spy to pass on the matter of the new Mang Valley to Liu He. It was originally foolproof. After thinking about it, even if I were in the other place, I would definitely be ecstatic and rush to send troops. Xun You used the excuse of going home to visit his newborn son to lure me out and defeat my army. That was his deliberate plan. This time, I deliberately planned to make him unintentional, but he also saw through it. I should be more cautious in the future."

After that, he asked again: "Where is Wei Yan? Where is he now? Has he returned to Ancheng?"

"No." Xi Zhong said, "According to the report of the scouts he sent back, General Wei Yan led the remaining troops to Xincai City after his defeat in the battle of Sori."

Cao Cao was a little surprised at first, but then he smiled and said, "This Wei Yan is indeed a talented general. In this way, even if Gao Shun and Xun You lead troops to attack Ancheng, we can be safe with this pincer attack. Send an urgent report to the commander of Xincai City and tell him that all military affairs in the city will be temporarily handled by Wei Yan."

"This..." Xi Zhong hesitated a little: "Wei Yan is a general who was recently defeated. He was also a surrendered general in Jingzhou. After the great defeat, he was promoted like this. I am afraid... I am afraid that the generals and soldiers in Yanzhou and Yuzhou will be dissatisfied." Cao Cao did not care: "I promoted him like this because I value Wei Yan's talent and I want to stabilize the people in Jingzhou. Our army has more defeats than victories against Liu He, and the generals and soldiers in Jingzhou have few opportunities to fight and make merit. If this continues, it is inevitable that the people will be divided. If other generals have any objections, tell them to come to me directly."

"Here."

"Where is Cai Mao's army now?" asked Cao Cao.

"My lord, Generals Cai Mao and Wen Pin are leading a large army and have stationed in Nanyang County. Once they reach the city of Shenyang, they can march into Runan at any time to join our army."

After hearing this, Cao Cao waved his hand and said, "Send a message to Cai Mao, telling him not to wait for news, but to go directly from Nanyang to Wuyin County, go around to Zhang Yong's rear, and attack his base camp. First, destroy Zhang Yong, then take Shenyang, and finally attack Gao Shun with two prongs."

Xi Zhong's eyes lit up: "My Lord, this is a brilliant plan. Zhang Yong's most elite main force has been brought by him to help Cheng Liang, and now they are trapped by General Xiahou Yuan. General Cai Mao's 150,000 troops can attack their rear and win the battle."

However, as soon as he finished speaking, Xizhong's brows suddenly frowned again: "It's just that... Cai Mao has always been famous, but I don't know how capable he is. Last time, he fought a water battle with a Zhou Yu kid under Sun Jian, and was defeated. After that, he was ridiculed by several generals who had followed the lord for many years. They said that he was known as the best naval general in Jingzhou, but he couldn't beat a kid who was still wet behind the ears. It would be better for him to go home and farm. Cai Mao was resentful and complained secretly. This time, the lord let him lead the army alone, and did not send his generals to control it. The original intention was to show the generals in Jingzhou that he was valued. Although it was well-intentioned, I am afraid..."

Cao Cao knew what he was going to say, so he waved his hand and said, "I know how to handle this matter. Cai Mao is a well-established person in Jingzhou, and he is the leader of all the wealthy families. If we want to stay in Jingzhou, we need his assistance. As the saying goes, 'trust a man when you employ him, and don't employ a man if you don't trust him'. I am not Liu Biao, so I don't think Cai Mao has the guts to rebel against me."

Seeing that Cao Cao had made up his mind, Xi Zhong said no more, stood up, bowed and walked out.

A day later, in Xincai City, Zhu Ye received a military order from Cao Cao to the garrison commander of Cao's army, and he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Hahaha... This Cao Cao is really as stupid as a pig. I captured this city and sent people disguised as messengers from the city to deliver a letter to him, but he had no doubts and still believes that Xincai City is still under his control."

A scholar with a sword came over, it was Xu Shu.

"Haha, the five generals were extremely brave. They entered the city alone, killed the enemy generals, tricked the city gates open, and our army occupied Xincai City in a short time without losing a single soldier. None of the soldiers in the city escaped, so Cao Cao naturally had no way of knowing."

"It feels so good, it's really indescribable. This feeling of playing a trick on someone behind their back... Hey, it's even better than fighting on the battlefield." Zhu Ye seemed a little excited.

Xu Shu smiled and said, "Your Majesty often says that the general is a lucky general, and it has come true time and time again. In this battle for Yuzhou, thanks to General Zhu's contribution, we were able to penetrate deep into the enemy's rear, and victory is already in our grasp."

"Hey, Yuanzhi, thank you for the compliment."

Zhu Ye was very happy: "Oh, by the way, is Wei Yan still in prison?"

"Of course. He came to seek refuge last night. After entering the city, he was captured. Now he is in prison. Why are you asking about him, General?"

Zhu Ye grinned: "Nothing, I just heard that this man is very famous in Jingzhou, and I'm worried that I don't have anyone to practice with. Hehe, I'm going to take a walk in the prison..."

After saying that, Zhu Ye stood up and ran out like a gust of wind, leaving Xu Shu with a helpless look on his face.

Today is a holiday, Lao Mao wishes all readers a happy Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day!
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(End of this chapter)