Three Kingdoms, I'm really not a general!

Chapter 567: Unification of the Central Plains

Cao's army has already abandoned the Central Plains.

It can be said that Cao Pi did not send troops to guard the area south of Hebei.

Guan Yu naturally had a smooth journey and reached Puyang.

In this way, Liu Bei truly unified the Central Plains.

However, there is not no bad news on Cao Pi's side.

Xu Huang and Cao Zhang, who disappeared in the battle of Yongning County and Luoyang, now returned to Yecheng.

It turns out that after the defeat, these two people have been thinking about regrouping.

It’s just that Cao Wei was defeated so quickly everywhere that they had no time to react.

So as the entire Central Plains was lost, the two men had no choice but to return to Yecheng.

Although the reappearance of the two is a good thing, it is of no help compared to the overall situation in the world.

Apart from anything else, Cao Pi has been suffering from a series of shocks and has been bedridden. No one has the energy to resist anymore...

...

Cao Zhang entered Yecheng exhausted and dusty, the sound of his horse's hooves sounded particularly hurried in the empty streets.

His armor was still stained with the dust of the battlefield, and his brows showed fatigue, but more of it was anxiety and uneasiness.

Along the way, he heard that Cao Pi was seriously injured in the battle, and his heart felt like it was being pressed by a huge rock, so heavy that he could hardly breathe.

As mentioned before...Cao Zhang and Cao Pi have always had a good relationship.

So I am very anxious right now!
As you step into the palace, the atmosphere is so solemn that it is suffocating.

The servants hurried past with their heads down, fear and worry on their faces.

Cao Zhang strode across the corridor and headed straight for Cao Pi's bedroom.

He clenched his hands into fists, his nails almost digging into his palms, and complex emotions surged in his heart.

Anger, worry, guilt, and a hint of unspeakable fear.

When I pushed open the door of the bedroom, a strong smell of medicine hit me in the face.

Cao Zhang's steps paused slightly, and his eyes fell on the familiar yet unfamiliar figure on the couch.

Cao Pi lay there quietly, his face as pale as paper, his lips bloodless, his forehead wrapped in thick gauze, faintly oozing a trace of blood. His breathing was weak and rapid, as if it would stop at any time.

Cao Zhang's heart suddenly sank, as if it was being gripped by an invisible hand.

He walked quickly to the bed, his knees weakened, and he knelt on the ground, his voice hoarse and trembling: "Brother... I'm back."

Cao Pi's eyelids moved slightly, as if he heard his voice, but he was unable to open his eyes. His fingers curled up slightly, as if he wanted to grab something, but he was unable to lift them.

When Cao Zhang saw this, he felt a pang of sadness in his heart and his eyes instantly turned red.

He reached out and held Cao Pi's cold hand, whispering: "Brother, it's me... it's Ziwen. Wake up and look at me..."

His voice was choked with sobs, and his heart was filled with endless regret and self-blame.

If he had defended Luoyang and returned earlier, if he could have stayed with Cao Pi, perhaps none of this would have happened.

He held Cao Pi's hand tightly, as if he could pass his strength to him and help him break free from the endless pain.

"Brother...you can't be in any trouble..." Cao Zhang's voice was so low that it was almost inaudible, but it was filled with deep pleading.

Cao Pi and Cao Zhi had a deep relationship since childhood. When they were young, Cao Pi took Cao Zhang on horseback riding and archery, taught him to read and write, and the two brothers fought side by side.

Those images now seemed like a sharp blade, piercing Cao Zhang's heart and causing him so much pain that he could hardly breathe.

He raised his head and his eyes fell on Cao Pi's pale face, and a strong anger surged in his heart.

But there’s no use being angry!
At this moment, only Cao Zhang's indignant voice echoed in the palace, making the already gloomy atmosphere seem even more terrifying.

...

Cao Zhang's return was still helpful in stabilizing the morale of the army.

The external setbacks were only one of the current declines. The second was that Cao Pi was seriously ill, and if he fell again, no one would know who would succeed him.

Now that Cao Zhang has returned, this problem has disappeared.

But even though this problem has been resolved, internal matters are ultimately trivial.

The real trouble is that Liu Bei's army is unstoppable and is constantly marching north.

Right now...news came from Guandu.

The Han army deployed its troops, ready to launch a northern expedition soon!
...

Guandu!

This was the opportunity for Cao Cao to truly step to the center of the historical stage.

In the fifth year of Jian'an, before Xing Daorong traveled through time, Liu Bei rebelled against Cao Cao in Xuzhou, and Cao Cao led his army to attack Liu Bei. Yuan Shao took the opportunity to send troops southward, trying to attack Cao Cao's rear.

After Cao Cao quickly defeated Liu Bei, he returned to fight Yuan Shao, and the two sides faced off at Guandu.

The Battle of Guandu was not only a military contest, but also a struggle for resources and strategy. Yuan Shao had more soldiers and more food, and he tried to defeat Cao Cao with overwhelming force.

Cao Cao used flexible tactics and Yuan Shao's internal conflicts to ultimately win a decisive victory with a smaller force, which can be described as a miraculous victory.

After Yuan Shao was defeated, his power declined rapidly, and Cao Cao became the most powerful warlord in the north, laying the foundation for the later establishment of Cao Wei.

This was a crucial battle for Cao Wei's rise to power. Now that it is Guandu again, many people are naturally looking forward to creating another miracle...

Even Cao Pi seemed to have some "last burst of energy" after Cao Zhang's return. When he heard that the Han army was marching northward, he organized a rare court meeting.

...

Emperor Cao Pi of Wei sat upright in the main hall, with a hint of solemnity between his brows.

The flickering candlelight in the hall illuminated his slightly tired face.

After taking a quick look around, Cao Pi said, "Liu Bei led his army northwards and stationed them at Guandu. His intentions are unclear."

Cao Pi tapped his fingers lightly on the table, and glanced at the ministers in the hall. He said in a deep voice: "What do you think of Liu Bei's move?"

Chen Qun was the first to step out, saluted, and said calmly: "Your Majesty, Liu Bei is now very powerful. I think we should use calm to control movement, firmly defend Guandu, and wait for his food and grass to run out, and then he will naturally retreat."

Food consumption?
When the ministers heard what Chen Qun said, they knew that he was talking nonsense!

Most of Liu Bei's territory was cultivated with curved plows, and the amount of food and fodder was several times that of the north.

The North is already short of food. Wouldn't it be courting death to wait for the other side to consume their food?
Even though everyone knew that Chen Qun was talking nonsense, no one stepped forward to interrupt him.

Why?

Because there is no other way!
You can oppose Chen Qun, but you have to come up with a countermeasure.

So everyone remained silent about Chen Qun's absurd statement, as if they agreed to it.

This made Cao Pi furious!
He slammed the table and said, "Food and grass? If it was because of food and grass, how could Tongguan be lost? How could Luoyang be lost?"

"Such a ridiculous statement, are you deceiving me that I am seriously ill?"

When everyone saw Cao Pi getting angry, no one dared to say a word, and only Pan came to the rescue.

Fortunately, there are still people who come to the rescue.

His Majesty Wu Zhi stepped forward and said firmly, "Your Majesty, Liu Bei has always had the ambition to be a hero. This time he is heading north, he may not be unprepared... I think we should quickly send elite troops to cut off his food supply, so that he will be caught in a dilemma. If we can defeat his vanguard in one fell swoop, we will surely dampen his spirit."

Elite soldiers?

If there were elite troops who could cut off Liu Bei's food supply, the battle wouldn't have been so difficult!

This idea is more reliable than Chen Qun's... but it's really only a little bit.

Although Cao Pi was no longer angry after hearing this, he still remained silent.

Zhong Yao pondered for a moment, then stepped out slowly, speaking in a deep and powerful voice: "Your Majesty, although Liu Bei is a strong enemy and has moved the capital to Chang'an, his internal situation may not be stable. I think you can send an envoy to contact Liu Feng in Chengdu and have him contain Liu Bei's rear!"

After these words were spoken, before others could react, Wu Zhi turned around and looked at Zhong Yao in disbelief.

(End of this chapter)