Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 583 Is Yue Sichu there?
August, Nanjing.

The four-horse carriage stopped in front of Liu's residence. Cao Cao dismounted and looked up at the words "Liu Residence, Hanshou County" on the gate plaque. He then asked, "How is Liu Xuande doing these days?"

"Reporting to the Prime Minister, Liu Xuande drinks and makes merry every day, frolicking with his wives and concubines!" the guard replied.

"Have you inquired about the situation?"

"Not yet!"

The guard said, "They only urge us to drink and eat, without asking about the situation!"

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled, saying to his attendants, "It seems Liu Bei's ambitions are waning!"

With that, Cao Cao, surrounded by the crowd, strode into the main hall.

Inside the main hall, seductive music filled the air. The courtesans, clad in sheer gauze, revealed their slender waists and fair skin, almost revealing their flesh. Liu Bei, adorned in brocade and red, frolicked among the courtesans, his left arm around one of their jade-like arms, his lips tasting hers, eliciting laughter from the courtesans.

"The Prime Minister has arrived!"

As the music played, the armored soldiers stepped forward and announced loudly, "Marquis Liu Xuande of Hanshou County has come out to greet us!"

Liu Bei, drunk, ignored the soldiers' warnings and only cared about teasing the beautiful dancer in his arms.

The dancer pushed Liu Bei and said in a sweet voice, "My lord, Prime Minister Cao has arrived! Why don't you go out and greet him quickly!"

Liu Bei kissed the dancer's fair face and said, "The Prime Minister is busy with countless affairs of state, how could he come? It must be a servant spreading false information, we don't need to pay any attention to it."

"My lord, it really is the Prime Minister who has arrived!"
Upon seeing Cao Cao's figure, the dancer nervously broke free from Liu Bei's embrace and then knelt to greet him.

"It's been so long since I've seen Xuande, you seem to be enjoying yourself quite a bit?"

Cao Cao took in the entire central hall. The tables were laden with roasted meat, steamed fish, fine wine, and desserts; the singing girls inside were all beautiful and charming. Apart from Liu Bei, the only man present, there were no other men, not even the musicians playing instruments. To describe the scene in the central hall, "extravagant and decadent" would be entirely apt.

"Prime Minister Cao?"

Liu Bei turned around, and without even greeting Cao Cao, he said sarcastically, "Prime Minister, you are not in Jingzhou to govern, so what brings you to my residence today?"

Cao Cao waved his hand, dismissing the idlers from the hall, and said with a smile, "How is the atmosphere here? Do you miss Chu?"

Liu Bei sat down on the couch, slowly took a sip of wine, and said, "Compared to the battles on the battlefield, this place is quite pleasant!"

Then Liu Bei asked in return, "But I wonder if the Prime Minister is happy now that he has broken the alliance and annexed Wu?"

Cao Cao remained calm and said, "All the land under heaven belongs to Your Majesty. I was ordered by the Emperor to take over the counties of Jing and Chu. How can you say that I have broken the alliance?"

"Whether he has broken the alliance or not, the Prime Minister knows the answer in his heart!"

Liu Bei was silent for a moment, then said, "I am a prisoner. The fact that the Prime Minister has come here today means that he has already conquered Chu. I wonder what your purpose is? Is it perhaps to mock my lack of strategy?"

Cao Cao smiled slightly and said, "Xuande is my son-in-law. How could I possibly harm my children? To be honest, I have come here today to obtain a letter from Xuande to persuade Generals Guan and Zhang to surrender."

"Since Yunchang and Yide have been at war with the Prime Minister, why would they come to serve him simply because of a letter?" Liu Bei said.

Cao Cao said, "You don't need to worry about the matter of surrendering, Xuande. Just send a letter!"

"Since the Prime Minister has made a request, I dare not refuse!"

"Bring me pen and ink!"

Seeing Liu Bei's quick cooperation, Cao Cao nodded in satisfaction and said, "Xuande's family is on their way and will be brought to your residence by officials shortly."

While Liu Bei was writing the letter, Cao Cao continued, "Xuande has no sons of his own, and it is truly a pity that he has adopted a son. Now, without resorting to war, Xuande may be able to obtain a true son!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei paused in writing, a sense of humiliation welling up in his heart, but he suppressed it.

"Thank you, Prime Minister!"

"Xuande doesn't ask where Yunchang and Yide are?" Cao Cao asked again.

"The only person in the world who can make things difficult for the Prime Minister is Zhang Yu of China!"

Liu Bei hastily finished writing the letter and handed it over, asking, "Does the Prime Minister have any other important matters to attend to?"

Cao Cao glanced at the letter, handed it to his bodyguard Dian Wei, and said with a smile, "If there is anything lacking in the manor, just send someone to ask for it!"

"We were colleagues before, and now we are father-in-law and son-in-law. We should share wealth and honor!"

"Ha ha!"

Cao Cao laughed and left the hall, leaving Liu Bei feeling frustrated and angry.

To lull Cao Cao into a false sense of security, he had indulged in lavish entertainment since being imprisoned in his mansion. Now, upon learning that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei had defected to Zhang Yu, he was filled with mixed emotions. If the two, because of his letter, betrayed the Tang Dynasty and joined Cao Cao, they would be doing Cao Cao a favor. But if they didn't betray Zhang Yu, wouldn't that be bolstering Zhang Yu's power?

No matter what, the foundation he had built up over the years had been completely eroded by Cao Cao, and his goal of restoring the Han Dynasty was becoming increasingly distant! "Alas!"

Liu Bei sighed deeply, regretting that he hadn't listened to his advisors and had been tricked by Cao Cao into going to Jiangdong to welcome his bride.

After Cao Cao and his entourage left the mansion, Lu Su said, "Prime Minister, Liu Bei is infatuated with wine and women; he is no longer a threat!"

"Ah!"

Cao Cao sneered and said, "In the past, Liu Bei planted vegetables in Wancheng to confuse Yuan Shu. Who could have predicted that Liu Bei might also bewitch me with wine and women?"

Even though his old friend Liu Bei was imprisoned, Cao Cao never dared to underestimate him. Liu Bei had been wandering from place to place, fleeing from Yuan Shu's camp to Jiaoling. He thrived in Jiaoling thanks to his personal charisma. If he hadn't insisted on launching a northern expedition against Jingzhou, how could Shi Xie have established a separatist regime in Jiaoling?
Moreover, he broke his alliance and annexed Southern Chu, causing many of Liu Bei's former subordinates to defect to him. If he were to relax his vigilance even slightly, allowing Liu Bei to escape to Jingzhou, he would likely be met with overwhelming support!
Before Cao Cao boarded his carriage, he instructed his men, "Continue to keep a close watch on Liu Bei and do not allow him to leave the residence without permission. Report any unusual activity immediately."

"promise!"

Cao Cao sat comfortably in his carriage, eyes closed, as the four-horse carriage slowly moved forward. He intended to return to the Prime Minister's residence to discuss strategies for defending against the Tang Dynasty with his civil and military officials.

Cao Cao asked Liu Bei for letters to persuade Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to surrender, partly to test Liu Bei, and partly because he genuinely intended to recruit the two generals.

Previously, Cao Cao felt that keeping Guan Yu and Zhang Fei alive might pose a threat to Liu Bei. Now, with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei seizing counties under Wu Ju's control and the waterways of Yi and Jing provinces becoming unobstructed, Cao Cao felt deeply threatened.

In the original plan, Yu Fu blocked the eastward route of the Yizhou navy. This allowed the Jingchu navy to focus on fighting the Jinghan navy, while the Yangzhou forces defended against the central army. Now, with the waterways of both provinces open, the pressure on the Jingchu navy has increased dramatically, forcing Cao Cao to consider how to reclaim Yu Fu.

If we resort to force, given the current situation, it would be difficult to capture Yufu. Therefore, excluding the use of force, the only option is to try to persuade Liu Bei to persuade the Guan and Zhang brothers to surrender.

Not long after, Cao Cao arrived at the Prime Minister's residence, where his trusted ministers had been waiting for a long time.

"Prime Minister!"

Cao Cao dismissed the formalities and said, "Jiang Gan is going to Yufu with Liu Bei's letter to see if he can persuade Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to surrender."

"promise!"

"Prime Minister, we share the Yangtze River with the Tang rebels. Now the rebels are in Yizhou, building massive ships, with logs covering the river as they sail down. According to our scouts, the ships being built in Yizhou are enormous, like towering warships. If they sail down the river, our army will have a hard time resisting them."

Zhou Yu presented the wooden tablet and said, "Not only that, Wen Ping has led his troops to Yangwu on the north bank, stockpiling military supplies and plundering people across the river, showing his intention to spy on Yidao. Therefore, in my opinion, if Yufu cannot be obtained again, we should increase our troops in Yidao and station heavy troops in Gong'an."

Looking at the wooden tablet on the table, Cao Cao was filled with worry and said, "The Yizhou navy must pass through Yidao to go east, and now we can block the troops from Ba and Shu by stationing troops there. However, I fear that the troops on the north bank will cross the river and attack our army from both sides with the Yizhou troops!"

"Your Excellency, the Jingzhou navy consists of only two forces: the Nanjun naval troops and the Xiangyang naval troops. If our army wishes to block the Jingzhou navy, in my humble opinion, we should station a large force at Baqiu. If the enemy navy sails out of the Yangtze River, we should order the Baqiu naval troops to intercept and attack them," Zhou Yu said.

"General Zhou is right!"

Liu Ye said, "If we station our troops at Yidao, the Shu troops will be unable to advance. The only concern for Jingchu is the naval forces of the Yangtze and Han rivers. If we can send a general to garrison Baqiu and command the Jingchu navy to attack the Jingchu troops in the north and defend against the Bashu forces in the west, we can ensure that Jingchu will not fall!"

"Who is capable of guarding Baqiu?" Cao Cao asked.

“Zhou Yu, the Prefect of Nan Commandery, is capable of this task!” Lu Su said. “Zhou Yu, the Prefect of Nan Commandery, is well-versed in military strategy and naval affairs. His wisdom and strategy are sufficient to secure the border.”

Cao Cao hesitated for a long time before saying, "The northern bandits are advancing south, and military affairs are of great importance. How can I be without Gongjin's advice? My summoning of Gongjin back to the capital is precisely to entrust you with the position of Protector of the Army."

As he spoke, Cao Cao looked at Cao Ren and said, "Now that you, Zixiao, are able to serve as the Governor of Jingzhou, overseeing all the lords of Jingzhou, you will be stationed in Baqiu. If any enemy invades the border, do not rashly resort to force."

"promise!"

Whether Cao Cao's decision to retain Zhou Yu as Protector of the Army truly meant him a high position is debatable. However, his appointment of Cao Ren as Governor of Jingzhou clearly demonstrates his distrust of others.

Although Zhou Yu was somewhat disappointed when Cao Cao appointed Cao Ren as the governor of Jingzhou, he was satisfied when Cao Cao appointed him as the protector of the army.

"Then the Prefect of Nan Commandery?"

Cao Cao said, "The governor of Nan Commandery is a crucial position for defending against the troops of Yi Province. Now, Yue Jin will lead the troops to take up this post. If the Shu troops march east, Cao Zixiao will send additional troops to reinforce them."

"promise!"

"Commander, the Tang bandits are building a massive fleet of ships. How can we defend against them?" Cao Cao asked.

"Prime Minister, although there are troops deployed in Jingchu and Huaibei, my country is based along the river, without any distinction between inside and outside. It stretches for thousands of miles from east to west, and I can only rely on boats to support myself."

Zhou Yu pondered for a moment and said, "In my opinion, the troops from Yizhou will advance by both land and water, the troops from Jingchu will advance on Changsha, the troops from Yan and Yuzhou will head straight for Shouchun, and the troops from Xu and Qing will march towards Moling. With a thousand miles of troops waving flags and shouting, our country, in a corner of the country, will be facing the forces of the whole world. I'm afraid the situation will become fragmented."

"Therefore, if the northern invaders are to destroy us, they will surely advance from multiple directions. If one place collapses, the center will be left vulnerable, and the entire country will be thrown into turmoil. If the Prime Minister wishes to personally lead the troops in a mobile campaign, he should quickly defeat one army in order to force the other armies to retreat."

Cao Cao nodded and sighed, saying, "The strategy for protecting the army should align with the enemy's strategy. Currently, China has a large and victorious army, advancing along multiple routes. Therefore, all the armies should prioritize defense and block the Tang army's unstoppable advance. I, on the other hand, will lead a large and mobile force along one route. If we can sever one of their fingers, the others will be too weak to withstand the injury, thus averting the disaster of national annihilation!"

"The Prime Minister is wise!"

The situation in the land was clear: if Tang were to conquer the southeast, it wouldn't be able to send only one army; it would inevitably advance along multiple routes. To counter this multi-pronged strategy, Cao Cao had no choice but to employ a tactic of cutting off one of the enemy's fingers. After all, when facing a vast and powerful enemy, tactics have remained remarkably similar throughout history.

For example, in the Battle of Sarhu, Yezhupi used the tactic of "no matter how many routes you come from, I will only go one way" to break through the Ming army's encirclement and suppression. Or in the Battle of Feishui, the Former Qin advanced from multiple routes, while the Eastern Jin concentrated a large army to defeat the enemy at Feishui, thus avoiding the destruction of the country.

(End of this chapter)