Three Kingdoms, I'm really not a general!

Chapter 588 Reflection
"Your Majesty, the Grand Marshal outside wants to see you."

Although Cao Pi issued an order for all the people in Yecheng to become soldiers.

Regardless of gender, age or status, all joined the army to defend the city.

But how many people can listen to him? Now we are at the foot of the imperial city and no one obeys his orders.

Firstly, Cao Pi was seriously ill and few people obeyed his orders.

Secondly, all the generals in the army were dead, and Cao Pi only gave orders but did not say who supported them.

Thirdly, this matter was already quite a mess, so naturally no one would listen to it.

As for Cao Pi's terrifying state in the palace the day before, he would not have asked anyone to look for him.

So when he heard Wu Zhi coming, Cao Pi, even though he felt exhausted, waved his hand and asked him to come in.

...

When Wu Zhi stepped into the hall, he saw him lying on the couch, his face pale and his breath weak.

Through the candlelight, I could see his furrowed brows and his miserable face.

After a slight pause, Wu Zhi bowed and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, I have a plan that may help Yecheng escape danger."

Cao Pi raised his eyes slightly, his gaze dim but still sharp, and said in a hoarse voice: "Ziheng, today, I still have to rely on you!"

"What good plan do you have now? Tell me quickly."

Wu Zhi stepped forward and whispered, "Liu Bei has always regarded himself as a benevolent person, and everyone in the world knows this. Now his army is approaching, and the people of Yecheng are in a state of panic. Your Majesty, you can order the elderly, the weak, the women and the children in the city to be placed in the front of the army to face Liu Bei's army directly."

"If Liu Bei does not retreat, his reputation as a benevolent man will be ruined, and the people of Yecheng will be jealous of him and fight to the death. If Liu Bei retreats, Your Majesty can order your elite troops to lie in wait in the rear, and when he retreats and becomes chaotic, you can seize the opportunity to chase and kill him, and you will surely defeat his army."

After hearing this, Cao Pi's eyes flashed with a complicated expression. He pondered for a moment and said slowly, "Although this plan is risky, it makes sense. However, using the elderly, the weak, women and children as shields will inevitably damage the reputation of our Wei State."

Wu Zhi looked solemn and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, those who accomplish great things do not care about trivial matters!"

"Ye City is in imminent danger. If we don't use this plan to repel the enemy, the people will suffer when the city is captured, and your Majesty's foundation will also be lost. Although this plan is risky, it is the only way to survive."

Cao Pi was silent for a long time, and finally nodded, saying in a low voice: "Follow Ziheng's plan and make arrangements quickly."

Wu Zhi accepted the order and was about to leave the hall in a hurry, but was stopped by Cao Pi.

Turning back, he saw Cao Pi slowly raising his hand, his fingers trembling slightly, motioning for him to come closer.

Wu Zhi hurried forward, bowed his head, and said softly: "Your Majesty, what do you want?"

Cao Pi stared at Wu Zhi, a complex expression flashed in his eyes, and his voice was hoarse but earnest: "Ziheng, come closer."

Wu Zhi took another step closer, almost reaching the edge of the couch.

Cao Pi suddenly reached out and tightly grasped Wu Zhi's wrist. Although his force was weak, it revealed an irresistible firmness.

Wu Zhi was slightly startled, and felt the coldness of Cao Pi's palm, and his heart tightened.

Cao Pi spoke slowly, his voice low and slow, as if every word carried a thousand pounds of weight: "Ziheng, I... am now seriously ill, and the court is in a mess. Outside, Liu Bei's army is approaching, and inside, the ministers are unpredictable."

"I have thought about it and now you are the only one I can trust completely."

Wu Zhi's heart trembled when he heard this. He knelt down immediately and bowed his head, saying, "Your Majesty, I am overwhelmed by your kindness. Although I am not very talented, I will do my best to serve the Great Wei!"

Cao Pi shook his head slightly, his eyes were deep, and his tone became heavier: "Ziheng, you don't have to be modest. I know you are talented and loyal."

"Over the years, you have given me advice and made remarkable achievements. Now that the state affairs are difficult, I can only entrust you with my affairs, so that I can feel at ease."

When he said this, his tone suddenly paused, a trace of fatigue flashed in his eyes, and his voice became a little lower: "Ziheng, I... don't have much time left. I can't personally entrust the Great Wei Kingdom to my young son. Only you... only you can protect this foundation for me."

When Wu Zhi heard this, he felt as if a huge rock was pressing on his heart and his eyes turned slightly red.

Cao Pi was still young after all, and had only been emperor for a few years, but he said a few days ago that he didn't have much time left, which naturally made people feel a little nervous. Even Wu Zhi had other thoughts in mind, and he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

But at this moment he knew that he must not be soft-hearted and speak carelessly.

Once I say something like asking Cao Pi to give up his foundation and surrender to Liu Bei, he will definitely get furious!

Given Cao Pi's changeable personality, this is beyond doubt.

Therefore, Wu Zhi could only suppress his thoughts and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will not let you down! Even if I have to sacrifice my life, I will ensure that the Wei Dynasty is stable!"

Cao Pi nodded slightly, a relieved smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and his grip on Wu Zhi's hand loosened a little.

He slowly closed his eyes, his voice barely audible: "Okay... okay... Ziheng, I believe you."

Wu Zhi knelt in front of the couch for a long time without getting up, with thousands of thoughts surging in his mind.

He knew that the Wei dynasty was about to end.

As for preserving the Great Wei's foundation...it is absolutely impossible.

...

No matter how slowly Zhuge Liang's army moved, the distance from Yecheng to Guandu was only this short, and the delay would not last more than a few days.

Soon the army arrived at the city, but found the gates of Yecheng wide open. The old, the weak, women and children were driven to the front of the battlefield. The cries were deafening and the ground was filled with wailing.

Seeing this, Zhuge Liang's army hesitated to move forward.

Zhuge Liang stood in front of the formation, his brows furrowed, hesitant.

Xing Daorong stepped forward and shouted, "Military Advisor, Cao Pi is using this plan to force me to retreat. If I forcefully attack the city, I will lose the support of the people. If I retreat, it will be difficult to capture Yecheng."

After shouting loudly for a while, he approached Zhuge Liang and said in a low voice: "This is the plan of Zhong Yao mentioned earlier. Military Advisor, you can act according to it."

Xing Daorong was truly unique in the world in making Zhuge Liang "act according to the plan".

However, Zhuge Liang was satisfied and smiled at Xing Daorong, saying, "We could have taken the city in one battle today, but you have taken great pains to protect the safety of the people in Yecheng."

"In this case, we must act accordingly."

After that, Zhuge Liang sighed in a pretentious manner and waved his hand, saying, "Pass the order, retreat!"

In this way, Zhuge Liang's troops slowly retreated and their formation became increasingly chaotic.

At this moment, the elite troops of Cao's army who were hiding in the city suddenly rushed out, like a tiger descending from the mountain, and pounced directly on Zhuge Liang's army.

Zhuge Liang's army was caught off guard and retreated in chaos.

The danger in Yecheng is temporarily relieved...

...

However, in Yecheng, except for Cao Pi, everyone from top to bottom was waiting for the news of defeat.

Unexpectedly... Zhuge Liang's army was defeated by the defenders!

This made the atmosphere in the city awkward.

We had already made preparations to welcome the king's army, but we never expected that an accident would happen.

There are also rumors that Zhuge Liang retreated fifty miles and issued a manifesto, accusing Cao Pi of being shameless and using the people as shields.

Cao Pi's behavior was indeed very unkind, but...

Things have come to this, no matter how shameless the means are, as long as they can stop the enemy's attack, even if they are immediately rebuked, what does it matter?
(End of this chapter)