Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 626 Cao Cao Surrenders?

Starting in May, Zhang Liao and Xu Huang led 100,000 troops to attack Jinling from the east and west. Due to Cao Cao's strategy of gathering troops and collecting grain, Xu Huang broke through Zhongshan Fortress in just a few days and joined Zhang Liao under the walls of Jinling.

Since mid-July, Generals Zhang and Xu have been building camps and fortifications and sending naval forces to patrol the river, completely surrounding Nanjing.

Inside the central command tent of the Tang army's Henggang (Yuhuatai) stronghold.

"With the recent continuous rains, how are the troops? Are there any outbreaks of disease?" Zhang Liao asked.

"Dozens of people have diarrhea and have been transferred to Caishiji to recuperate!"

Sun Zi pondered for a moment and said, "Some of the camps are located in damp places. We wish to move the camps to higher ground. I wonder if the commander-in-chief approves?"

Zhang Liao shook his head and said, "If the camp is moved, the morale of the army will be affected. You gentlemen should not move the camp rashly."

Then, Zhang Liao looked at Xu Huang and Jia Xu and asked, "What do you two think?"

After considering for a moment, Xu Huang said, "What the commander-in-chief says makes sense. Our army has besieged the city for seventy days, and many soldiers and officers are restless. If we move the camp now, the morale of the soldiers and officers will definitely waver. As for those who say it is damp, we can find an opportunity to change the arrangement of the tents. Perhaps by August or September, the rain will gradually decrease."

As soon as Xu Huang finished speaking, his attendant rushed into the tent and said, "Reporting to the commander, Cao Cao has sent an envoy out of the city."

"What's the matter?"

“They seem to have come to surrender!” the attendant said.

"Surrender?"

Zhang Liao's expression showed slight joy, but considering Cao Cao's cunning military tactics, he composed himself and asked, "What do you all think about the authenticity of Cao Cao's envoy's surrender?"

"Cao Cao's troops are exhausted and have no way to defeat me. It is not impossible for him to surrender to me in order to save his life!" Hao Zhao said with a frown.

"I'm afraid that's not the case!"

Pang Tong stroked his beard and pondered, then said, "Cao Cao is cunning by nature. Now that he has suddenly surrendered, it is difficult to tell whether he is sincere or not. I hope the commander will make a careful decision."

Seeing that everyone had different opinions and he himself had no clear answer, Xu Huang said, "If it is difficult to decide, it would be better to submit a memorial to Chang'an and ask His Majesty to make a decision."

Zhang Liao frowned and asked, "What is the Protector-General's opinion?"

Working alongside Jia Xu for an extended period gradually fostered a dependency in Zhang Liao. Whenever he was unsure about something, he would always consult Jia Xu.

Jia Xu chuckled and said, "To know whether Cao Cao's surrender is genuine or not, we should first summon the envoy into the tent, observe his expression and demeanor."

"rational!"

"Quickly summon Cao Cao's envoy to the tent!" Zhang Liao urged.

"promise!"

Not long after, Cao Zhen entered the tent and bowed respectfully.

"Cao Zidan, on the orders of Lord Cao, pays his respects to General Zhang and all the gentlemen!"

Zhang Liao sized up Cao Zhen and asked, "Does Cao Cao wish to surrender?"

"Exactly!"

Cao Zhen said, "Two months ago, Cao Gong was foolish and failed to understand Zhang Gong's good intentions. Now that Jinling is under siege again, and our food supplies are exhausted and our troops are weary, Cao Gong deeply regrets his actions and knows that he is guilty. Therefore, he has ordered me to apologize to the general and ask for forgiveness for Cao Gong's past ignorant behavior."

"Since you wish to surrender, do you have any questions about your future prospects and wealth?" Jia Xu asked abruptly.

"Lord Cao knows that he has already angered the Tang Emperor. Therefore, if he can allow me to surrender now, it would already be a great favor from the Tang Emperor. How dare I presume to ask for wealth and honor?" Cao Zhen replied respectfully.

Zhang Liao was quite satisfied and asked, "If I allow Cao Cao to surrender now, I wonder when I can leave the city and surrender?"

Cao Zhen said, "The paperwork is tedious and the rain is continuous. Let's arrange it three days later, when the rain stops."

"Not urgent!"

Zhang Liao pondered for a moment and said, "When His Majesty knew that Cao Cao would not surrender, he ordered the city to be breached and Cao Cao executed. Now that Lord Cao has suddenly come to surrender, please allow me to report this to His Majesty and see if he approves it!"

"Hmm~" Seeing that Jinling could be surrendered without a fight, Zhang Liao smiled and said, "We can tentatively agree to surrender in ten days."

"promise!"

Then, Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, Pang Tong, and others inquired about some details. Cao Zhen did not conceal anything and truthfully recounted the situation in the city, such as the shortage of food and the growing resentment among the city's soldiers and civilians. Upon hearing this, Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, and the other generals nodded repeatedly, all believing that Cao Cao's surrender was due to being forced by circumstances.

As Cao Zhen walked away from the tent, Zhang Liao laughed and said, "The city of Jinling is in dire straits, with soldiers and civilians lacking food and drink. Cao's army cannot hold out for long, so it is likely that Cao Cao will surrender. What do you think, sir?"

Jia Xu smiled and said, "What does the plight of the soldiers and civilians have to do with whether Cao Cao's surrender is genuine or not? Perhaps Cao Cao deliberately feigned surrender and leaked it to our army to deceive the general."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liao and Xu Huang exchanged glances, each lost in their own thoughts, and their doubts about the authenticity of Cao Cao's surrender resurfaced.

"How can you be so sure that Cao Cao's surrender is a ruse?" Xu Huang asked.

Jia Xu said, "How can someone who comes to surrender not care about wealth and future prospects, and leave everything to the general's disposal? If the general does not trust Cao Cao, why not play along with his plan?"

"Where did this plan come from?" Zhang Liao asked curiously.

Jia Xu pondered for a while and said, "Recently, there has been continuous rain, and I fear that it may shake the morale of the generals. Therefore, I have no intention of moving the camp. Now, we should take this opportunity to order a move. If Cao Cao is feigning surrender, he will surely take the opportunity to attack me when I move the camp and withdraw my troops, in order to turn the tide of the war. If Cao Cao is truly surrendering, he will not attack me when I move the camp to another location."

"Therefore, if the general finds it difficult to decide, he may wish to give it a try, so as not to fall into a trap and suffer defeat, thus failing His Majesty's high regard."

"Commander, Cao Cao is a cunning man. He was determined not to surrender at first, so why would he surrender now because of the plight of his soldiers and civilians? There must be something hidden behind this. Therefore, Commander, you must investigate carefully," Pang Tong advised.

Zhang Liao frowned, pacing back and forth in the tent with his hands behind his back, and said, "The words of the two gentlemen are not reasonable. Now that we are close to defeating the enemy, we should prioritize stability. Let's first follow Mr. Wenhe's advice and use the situation at the camp to observe whether Cao Cao's surrender is genuine or not. If he is only pretending to surrender, our army can still take the opportunity to defeat the enemy; if he is truly surrendering, then peace and tranquility will dispel our doubts."

"The commander-in-chief is wise!"

While Zhang Liao and Jia Xu were discussing whether Cao Cao's surrender was genuine, Cao Zhen, having gathered intelligence from the Tang army, returned to Jinling City and immediately went to see Cao Cao.

"Zidan, do you believe the Tang army?" Cao Cao asked with concern.

"Reporting to the Prime Minister, Tang generals Zhang Liao and Xu Huang seem to firmly believe that our army is truly surrendering. I have arranged a date with them for our surrender. As for the specific date, Zhang Liao needs to report to Zhang Yu and inquire whether the Prime Minister is permitted to surrender," Cao Zhen said.

"How could Zhang Yu disagree?"

“Jinling has a prosperous population, and I still have tens of thousands of soldiers. If we fight to the death, we will not only lose the lives of our soldiers, but also the population of Jinling. He is determined to recover Jiangdong. I do not seek titles or ranks, so why would he not want to?”

Cao Cao laughed a few times and said, "The Tang army camps are deeply mired in floods. If we surrender now, the Tang people will believe us, and their troops will surely become lax. Our army will launch a night attack on the Tang camp and surely break their momentum."

Cao Zhen, being a military man, should not have been sent as an envoy. However, in this desperate situation, Cao Cao could not fully trust others and feared that they would leak the plan to the Tang army. Therefore, he chose the courageous and resourceful Cao Zhen as the envoy.

With that, Cao Cao composed himself and asked, "Zidan, besides the agreed date, did the Tang people ask you anything else? And what did you find out from the Tang army?"

"Prime Minister!"

Cao Zhen recalled what he saw and heard in the Tang camp, saying, "When the Tang people asked about the situation in Jinling City, I answered them with the words the Prime Minister taught me. Besides that, when I returned to the city from the Tang camp, I saw that the Tang army had issued an order to move their camp."

"Move camp?"

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes, as if he had thought of something, and then looked at Liu Ye.

Liu Ye understood immediately and, after considering his thoughts, said, “Prime Minister, it has been raining incessantly lately. The Tang camps are in low-lying areas, and we fear they may be flooded. Moving the camps might demoralize the troops and give our army an opportunity to take advantage of us. In the past, we dared not act rashly. Now that our army has surrendered, perhaps the Tang people will become complacent and consider moving the camps.”

As he spoke, Liu Ye became excited and said, "Our army feigned surrender, and the Tang army believed it. Now that they are lax and have moved their camp, we can send troops to attack and win. If we can defeat the Tang people, the Prime Minister may well be able to regroup and rebuild our strength."

Cao Cao nodded slightly, a glimmer of hope rising in his heart.

Two to three hundred thousand Tang troops were disbanded, leaving only one hundred thousand under Zhang Liao's command. Subtracting the two or three thousand troops scattered throughout the various prefectures of Jiangdong, the number truly besieging Jinling was around seventy thousand. If they could break through the city's defenses of those seventy thousand, and subsequently recruit and subdue those who had defected, they might be able to recover the various prefectures of Jiangdong, and perhaps even launch a comeback.

"it is good!"

Cao Cao nodded and smiled, "Send scouts out of the city under the pretense of chopping wood to spread rumors among the Tang army outside the city that our army is about to surrender, so that the Tang soldiers will be complacent. Also, summon the generals to discuss matters and observe when the enemy moves their camp, which will be the time to send troops to attack the enemy."

"promise!"

(End of this chapter)