Late Han Zhao Tang

"Yan pays his respects to Governor Wen. In the past, he was ignorant of the might of Heaven and recklessly resisted the Heavenly Army. Now he has realized his mistake and is willing to be taken in."

Li Yan, dressed in plain clothes and holding his sword, saw Wen Ping surrounded by a crowd, stepped forward to greet him, and bowed humbly.

Although Wen Ping was disgusted by Li Yan's repeated and unreasonable behavior, he had no choice but to smile and appease him, considering that Li Yan was well-versed in the situation in Jingnan.

“Li Jun’s name is renowned throughout Jingzhou, and I have long admired him. Now that he has come to surrender on the battlefield, His Majesty will surely be overjoyed to hear of it,” Wen Ping said, helping Li Yan to his feet.

Li Yan said, "How dare a defeated general enter the governor's court? Your Majesty is far away in the capital. Please ask the governor to speak well of me."

Wen Ping asked with a faint smile, "If there are any merits, I will report them truthfully. You are the governor of Jiaozhou, under the command of Cao Ren. Now that you have come to surrender, do you have any secret matters to report?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yan knew that Wen Ping was demanding a pledge of loyalty from him. He had a plan in mind and said, "Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, Cao Ren's military campaign this time follows the strategy of feinting to the east while attacking in the west. He sent Deng Chi to lead the old and weak to create a stir and make a show of force, pretending to attack Jiangling, thus luring the Commander-in-Chief to send troops north to reinforce. When the main camp is empty, he will send out elite troops to launch a surprise attack and capture the Jiangzhu and Jiangbei camps."

As he spoke, Li Yan glanced at the time and said, "Deng Chi is far away on the north bank and is unaware of Cao Ren's defeat. Therefore, Commander-in-Chief, you may wish to attack him. His troops number four or five thousand. If you send troops to attack him, you will surely be able to achieve another victory against the enemy!"

Wen Ping nodded in satisfaction and said, "Send an order to Huang Zhong, saying that the men who attacked Jiangling from afar are the old and weak of Cao's army, and that he need not lead his troops back to reinforce them, but instead lead the troops in the city to break through and surrender them."

"promise!"

Looking at the five or six thousand surrendered soldiers of Cao Cao's army, Wen Ping said, "His Majesty has decreed that if any soldiers in Jingnan surrender, they may return to their hometowns according to their own wishes. Lord Li has led more than five thousand soldiers under his command to surrender. Now, we can select some soldiers and allow them to surrender on their own."

"I obey!"

Knowing that Wen Ping intended to reduce the number of troops under his command, Li Yan remained calm and respectfully replied, "I have already ordered my troops to remove their armor, discard their weapons, and put away their bows."

Wen Ping couldn't help but admire Li Yan's actions. To win the trust of the Tang army, Li Yan was so proactive. After all, abandoning their armor and weapons was like being a lamb to the slaughter, and Li Yan's arrangement clearly showed that he was handing over his life to the Tang army.

“I am aware of Li Jun’s intentions. Further rewards and honors will be granted upon His Majesty’s decree,” Wen Ping said.

"I am willing to obey the Commander's orders!"

With Li Yan's information leaked, Huang Zhong led his troops to defeat Deng Chi. Cao Cao's army suffered more than a thousand casualties, and the remaining more than three thousand fled to the shore. Seeing that the Tang navy had seized the boats, they knew they had nowhere to go and surrendered under Deng Chi's leadership.

In this battle, Wen Ping decisively defeated Cao Ren, Ling Cao was defeated and killed, Deng Chi and Li Yan surrendered one after another, and more than 10,000 Cao soldiers were killed or captured. This was the biggest victory for the Tang army since its southern expedition.

Cao Ren led 30,000 troops into battle, but lost more than half of them. Knowing he was no match for Wen Ping, he fled back to Gong'an and reported the defeat to Cao Cao. Instead of confronting Wen Ping further, Cao Ren gathered his troops and collected grain to prevent Wen Ping from taking advantage of the situation to breach the city.

The news of Wen Ping's defeat of Cao Ren and the capture of over 10,000 men spread to both armies within two days.

Xiakou, Tang camp's main tent.

"Ha ha!"

Zhang Liao laughed loudly and said, "Cao Ren is indeed a brave but short-sighted scoundrel. He launched a surprise attack on the Jiangzhu camp, thwarting Wen Ping's plan. Now, his general Ling Cao has died on the battlefield, Li Yan has defected in battle, and Deng Chi has been defeated and surrendered. This time, tens of thousands have been killed or captured. Cao Ren has suffered a heavy blow and will find it difficult to stop Wen Ping's military campaign!"

Jia Xu stroked his beard and smiled slightly, saying, "Cao Ren has suffered a severe defeat, and Cao Cao is tied down at Xiakou by our army. Yidao has no reinforcements or outside help, and the day when the city falls is not far off!"

After a pause, Jia Xu said, "Commander-in-Chief, Wen Ping has submitted a memorial requesting to besiege Gong'an from the south. In my opinion, we should let Wen Ping take the momentum of our great victory and cross the Yangtze River to besiege Gong'an. Li Yan should then write a letter to persuade old acquaintances to surrender. At that time, Gao Shun will break through Yidao, and everyone will see that Cao Cao's situation is hopeless. The proclamations to all the counties can be issued."

Zhang Liao gloated, saying, "Li Yan was highly valued by Liu Bei, yet he repeatedly defected to Cao Cao. He was given an important position by Cao Cao, but turned against him because of his weakened power. I wonder what Cao Cao would think if he heard this news?"

"Guan Yu and Zhang Fei regard Li Yan as an enemy. Now that Li Yan has been defeated and surrendered, I fear the two generals may be dissatisfied."

Jia Xu pondered for a moment and said, "Generals Guan and Zhang are both brave. According to Gao Shun, since the start of the campaign, they have always led from the front in any battle. However, Li Yan has cultivated Jingnan for many years and has many disciples and former officials. He is weak and has led his troops to surrender. We should appease and treat him well. If there are any conflicts among the three, we need to mediate and appease them."

Zhang Liao said, "I have a past relationship with Guan Yu, so I will handle this matter."

As he spoke, Zhang Liao suddenly seemed interested and asked, "Cao Ren's troops suffered a great defeat, which shows that Jingzhou is not necessarily inferior to the southeast. I would like to send troops to test the waters. What does the strategist think?"

Jia Xu raised an eyebrow and said slowly, "General, your name is renowned throughout the land, and you have never suffered a defeat in your campaigns. Now you command the navy, yet you listen to the words of your subordinates and are unaware of the true nature of the southeast. Therefore, His Majesty advises you to be cautious in your military operations. A defeat in battle is a minor matter; what is a major matter is to demoralize the people."

Seeing Jia Xu's advice against using troops, Zhang Liao felt frustrated. Years ago, he had defeated the Wuhuan cavalry with a smaller force, beheading Tadun. Now, with his army motionless, it seemed he was afraid of Cao Cao. "Let's hear what the Protector-General has to say!"

"The commander-in-chief is wise!"

After chatting about trivial matters, Jia Xu excused himself, citing military duties.

After returning to his camp, Jia Xu felt uneasy and wrote a letter, then summoned his son Jia Mu, who had accompanied him.

"Mu'er, you must immediately return to Chang'an on your father's behalf and deliver this letter to His Majesty!" Jia Xu said. "You must send it to Chang'an as quickly as possible, without delay."

Looking at the letter in his hand, Jia Mu asked, "Father, what urgent matter do you have to report to His Majesty so urgently?"

Jia Xu said, "When you arrive in Chang'an, you will know. If His Majesty bestows the imperial insignia upon your father, you should hurry back."

"promise!"

Having been taught by Jia Xu for many years, Jia Mu knew what he could and could not ask. Seeing the urgency of the situation, Jia Mu led his attendants on horseback and set off that very night.

While the Tang army rejoiced at Wen Ping's victory over Cao Ren, the Cao army suffered a major blow.

"He betrayed us in the face of danger, causing the army to be defeated. If we do not punish him now, we will not be able to vent our anger!"

Cao Cao's expression was cold, and his tone was resentful. He said, "Send an order to the officials in Jinling to execute Li Yan's wife and children."

"promise!"

Cao Ren fled back to Gong'an and learned that Li Yan had defected and Deng Chi had surrendered. He then blamed the defeat on Li and Deng, especially Li Yan, who took the lion's share of the blame.

After all, Li Yan is unable to speak, and if Li Yan isn't allowed to take the blame, Cao Ren will inevitably be made the scapegoat. Therefore, this not only meets Cao Ren's needs, but Cao Cao also needs Li Yan to take the blame and clear his name of any misjudgment in employing Cao Ren.

"Prime Minister, our army has suffered more than half its losses in this battle. Cao Ren has led over ten thousand remaining troops to retreat and defend the city. Wen Ping has won a great victory and will surely cross the river to attack Gong'an. There are no reinforcements outside Yidao, and Gao Shun has raised a mountain to encircle us. We are now in a precarious situation. Our army should devise a countermeasure as soon as possible!" Lu Su said with a worried expression.

Cao Cao remained silent, pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back, pondering a solution.

After a short while, Cao Cao looked at Zhou Yu and asked, "Gongjin, what are your thoughts?"

Zhou Yu said, "Prime Minister, our army has been locked in a stalemate with Zhang Liao for several months. Now, the situation in Jingzhou is critical. If we cannot defeat the Tang army, the area above Xiakou will surely fall into Tang hands within a few months. Without the Yangtze and Han rivers, how can we hold onto the southeast for long?"

"At that time, Zhang Liao had gathered an army of over 100,000 at Xiakou, looking eastward towards the counties of Jiangdong. He was poised to take them down in one fell swoop. Even if Han Xin were alive, he would have difficulty changing the overall situation. Therefore, the key now is to provoke Zhang Liao to send troops. If Zhang Liao sends troops, our army will have hope of victory. Otherwise, even if Jingzhou is not lost, Huainan will soon be taken by the Tang army."

Cao Cao sighed deeply, troubled by how to force Zhang Liao to send troops.

"How could I not know Zhang Liao's intention to contain us? If we lose Yidao and Gong'an, we will no longer have Xiakou and beyond. When the Tang troops gather, Zhang Liao will lead more than 100,000 men. With many soldiers and large ships, and with the wind and current in our favor, how can our army resist?" Cao Cao said with a worried frown.

Liu Ye pondered for a moment and said, "I have heard that Zhang Liao is straightforward. He may be able to get his soldiers to insult him day and night, first insulting Zhang Yu, then insulting Zhang Liao. After a few days, Zhang Liao and his generals will find it hard to bear. If the enemy does not come out to fight, send Zhang Liao a woman's dress to mock him as a woman."

"Zhang Liao is famous throughout the world and considers himself a great general of China. He cannot bear such humiliation and will surely send troops to fight. That will be the time for the Prime Minister to defeat Zhang Liao."

"Women's clothing?"

Cao Cao's soldiers had insulted Zhang Liao and Zhang Yu before, but they always managed to force the Tang army to come out of their camp and engage in battle. However, Liu Ye's suggestion of provoking Zhang Liao by sending a woman's dress caught Cao Cao's eye.

Given Zhang Liao's military achievements and status, how could he willingly endure such humiliation?
"it is good!"

Cao Cao readily agreed, saying, "First, have the soldiers curse him for several days, then later send an envoy with a woman's garment to provoke Zhang Liao into battle."

"As ordered!"

Given the dire situation, if Cao Cao cannot force Zhang Liao to send troops and defeat him, he will likely be worn down and killed by Zhang Liao. Therefore, although the tactic of provoking Zhang Liao is superficial, and its success depends on the enemy rather than Cao Cao himself, it is a strategy that Cao Cao has no choice but to employ. (End of Chapter)