Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 70 Cao Cao Meets Liu Bei
After a short rest on the plain, Liu Bei led his army south along the river and headed straight for Liaocheng in Dongjun.

Ships were traveling on the waterway, and from the plains one could see flags covering the sky, and the procession was endless.

The wealthy and noble families in the neighboring counties closed their doors and asked their fellow clansmen to stay at home, and then sent people to offer money and food as a gift of greeting, indicating that this was a conflict between members of the royal family.

It has nothing to do with the locals and they will not help each other, so please rest assured, Lord Xuande.

At that time, Liu Bei had already moved his camp from Gaotang County and set up camp near Yanzhou, and was wiping his long sword with a piece of cloth.

Since the beginning of the war, he gradually became fond of using a heavy sword to break armor, especially with one slash of the sword. The enemy's bones and armor could not withstand the heavy slash.

When the envoy of the noble family came to the military camp, he happened to see Liu Bei sharpening his sword and was frightened.

The immediate effect was that he became more respectful, using honorifics in his behavior and speech, and quietly wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve when he left.

Liu Bei did not make things difficult for the nobles of Dongjun. He knew very well that to strike at the opponent, he had to do it step by step and not offend everyone at once.

First, promise benefits to win over the wealthy and powerful, so that the gentry remain neutral, and then take things slowly later.

On the other hand, Chiping and Linyi counties in Jibei State were in chaos because they were close to Pingyuan County. The county magistrates and county magistrates took the lead in fleeing. As long as they could survive, they would not be afraid of running out of firewood.

When the clerks saw that the superiors appointed by Governor Liu Dai had all fled, they had no choice but to seek refuge in their hometowns.

As for the county soldiers, they had already run away and disappeared without a trace.

Bao Xin had not yet assembled his troops when many officials, except for the county chief Lu County, fled.

Even Jibei, which was only affected, was like this, let alone Dongjun, which was the first to be hit. One can imagine how chaotic the situation is now.

It was in Liaocheng that Cao Cao felt for the first time the overwhelming force brought by Liu Xuande and his army.

All the officials in charge of the counties in Dongjun fled, and the roads were blocked by horse-drawn carriages and crowds of fleeing people.

All I received in the past few days were bad news, with people running away here or there.

Various pieces of news were circulating in the county. Some said that Qingzhou Governor Liu Xuande brought an army of 50,000, while others countered that it was not 50,000, but 100,000 troops, including all the surrendered Yellow Turban soldiers.

The military camps stretched for dozens of miles without end. If the troops threw their swords into the river, they would be able to stop the flow and cut off the water.

How could Cao Cao, the governor of Dongjun, who led 40,000 weak soldiers, possibly be a match for Liu Bei's 100,000 strong army? If he surrendered early, perhaps his official position would not have changed.

Anyway, they are all relatives of the Liu family. Why can't Lord Xuande also be the governor of Yanzhou? Why should he fight to the death?

The officials who fled did not see the situation clearly. Those who saw the situation clearly would not have run away long ago, but would have quietly sorted out the household registers, fields, taxes, treasury money and other records and presented them to the state government.

This is to avoid unclear statistics and wasting time.

I guess from now on, they will be the officials of Qingzhou County. As for the Yanzhou Provincial Governor's Office, they should just take care of themselves first.

Under such circumstances, Cao Cao had to be anxious and called Xiahou Yuan, Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren and others to discuss the matter.

Cao Cao said sternly, "Liu Bei's army has not yet arrived, but the East Commandery under my rule is already in chaos. How should you respond?"

Cao Ren cupped his hands and said, "The situation is critical right now. We should first attack Liu Bei. Once he retreats, Dongjun will naturally be stable."

"Zixiao, do you want to first weaken the morale of the Qingzhou army and then return to Liaocheng to wait for Bao Yuncheng to lead his troops?" Cao Cao asked.

He stroked his beard and thought for a moment, then nodded. This is a good method that can appease the hearts of the army and the officials in the counties and towns.

"How many troops do you think are appropriate to lead?" Cao Cao then began to test the situation.

Facing a powerful enemy, it was the best time to observe how everyone would respond on the battlefield. Cao Cao did not miss this opportunity and also tested who was most worthy of training.

Cao Ren thought for a moment and said, "Leading a small force may backfire. It is better to lead the whole army to repel the enemy and make them dare not pursue us. Then the army will be at peace and we can slowly retreat back to the city. What do you think, brother?"

Cao Cao couldn't help laughing and said, "Zixiao's idea coincides with mine. It seems that you have read Sun Wu's Art of War, which I annotated in my early years, a lot recently!"

When he was selected as a filial and incorrupt official, he was particularly fond of the art of war. He borrowed and copied many military essentials from famous families, named it "Jie Yao", and annotated the Thirteen Chapters of Sun Tzu. He gave some to the Xiahou and Cao families, who were close to him.

After all, at that time he wanted to emulate the deeds of Fu Jiezi and Ban Chao, to pacify more than 30 countries in the Western Regions and seek a title of nobility outside the Great Wall.

But these were all things of the past many years ago, and it was too painful to look back on them. He had already faced the reality.

Cao Cao looked around at everyone and said solemnly, "I want to lead the army to attack Liu Xuande forty miles east of Liaocheng to resolve the crisis. Do you dare to go with me?"

Cao Ren was the first to accept the order: "I would like to lead my troops as the vanguard and attack Liu Bei first so that he will not dare to look down on our army."

"Meng De, I will lead my troops to quickly launch a surprise attack on Liu Bei's flank, so that he cannot form a battle formation in the chaos." Xiahou Yuan was unwilling to be outdone and immediately asked for orders.

"Meng De, I can be the vanguard. If I lose, you can cut off my head." Xiahou Dun said immediately afterwards.

Seeing this, Cao Hong stepped forward and saluted: "Brother, why don't you let me lead the troops to the front? I heard that Liu Bei and his two sworn brothers are both brave and strategic. I am willing to watch them in battle. If there is a chance, I will capture them alive and tie them up at the gate to boost the army's prestige."

When Cao Cao heard everyone rushing to ask for battle, he was not afraid of Liu Bei's aggressive approach.

I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows and clap my hands. At critical moments, you can still rely on your own family.

The general is the courage of the soldiers. If the leader is afraid, the soldiers will be even more afraid.

"Well!" Cao Cao stood up and gave the order: "Cao Zixiao leads the vanguard to engage the enemy, Xiahou Miaocai and Xiahou Yuanrang lead their troops to attack Liu Bei's left and right wings, Cao Zilian leads the rear army to defend against the enemy and provide support, and Zihe and I will lead the central army to observe the situation and pursue the enemy if we succeed."

Everyone shouted in unison: "Follow the general's order!"

After everyone left, Cao Cao sat back at the table, picked up the bamboo slips, and said with a smile: "Xuan De! I didn't expect that after a hasty separation, you were just a commoner, but now you have become a governor. We still meet on the battlefield. Is it really God's will?"

"But don't worry. I, Cao Mengde, am nostalgic. If you offer Qingzhou to me, I will let you live and let you return to Youzhou Zhuo County alone."

Cao Cao couldn't help laughing.

Then he took out a scroll of blank paper and wrote a letter to Bao Xin of Jibei, asking him how his preparations were and whether he could cross the river within ten days and send troops to the east of Liaocheng to join him in defeating Liu Xuande.

If he wants to win this battle, he needs the full support of his best friend Bao Xin.

Unfortunately, when Chenliu Prefect Zhang Miao heard of Liu Bei's reputation, he was too afraid to offend him.

If they could join him in the battle, the three of them would be able to defeat the exhausted and tired Qingzhou army.

Cao Cao sighed and said, "Meng Zhuo is good in every way, except that he is too timid. He will never achieve anything great."

He sealed the written letter with mud and handed it to the soldier, ordering him to deliver it to Jibei on horseback.

(End of this chapter)