The Three Kingdoms: The entire Cao Cao camp thought I was weak and frail.

The defenders, their eyes bloodshot, mechanically hacked and slashed at every enemy who climbed the city walls. One soldier, pierced through the abdomen by a spear, clung tightly to an enemy before dying, and they both fell off the wall. Cao Hong's arm was slashed so deep that bone was visible, but he only hastily bandaged it and continued to roar and command the battle.

The battle raged from dawn till dusk, and from dusk into the dead of night. Torches lined the city walls, casting a hazy yellow glow on the sky.

The defenders suffered increasing casualties, and gaps appeared in many places, which were only managed to be filled by the generals and their personal guards fighting desperately to keep them afloat.

Everyone's nerves were stretched to the limit.

"Sir, the catapult has arrived!" A servant from the Xun family rushed over in a panic.

Why would you use a catapult at this time?

Everyone was puzzled, as ordinary catapults were too heavy to fit on the city wall.

Soon, with a heavy rumble of wheels, dozens of oddly shaped machines were pushed aboard the city wall by the laborers. These machines were much smaller than ordinary catapults, but their structures were a hundred times more complex. Long booms, huge counterweights, and thick ropes intertwined with delicate wooden gears.

"What...what is this?" Xiahou Dun asked, leaning on his sword and panting heavily. He had never seen a siege weapon like this before.

"This is a thunderbolt chariot, made by Yan Ruo and Mr. Ma Heng," Xun Yu explained from the side, his eyes filled with pride and satisfaction as he looked at Xun Hao.

As for why Xun Yu was so eager to interrupt, it was because he was worried that if he spoke too late, Xun Hao would name him "Cabbage Pitcher".

"My lord, please take a look!" Xun Hao ordered, "Prepare!"

The laborers and servants of the Xun family who operated the catapults were all personally trained by Ma Heng. They skillfully turned the winch, slowly raising the heavy counterweight box, while the long launching arm lowered accordingly. The leather bag at the other end was already filled with a giant stone the size of a millstone.

"Will this thing... work?" a young officer muttered to himself, looking at the slender boom and feeling that it would be crushed by the weight of the boulder at any moment.

The Yellow Turban army below the city also noticed the unusual activity on the city wall.

"What are they doing? Playing tricks!" Geng Ling, who was overseeing the battle from the rear, sneered upon seeing this. In his view, this was nothing more than a desperate charade by Cao Cao's army.

"Release!" Xun Hao's voice rang out again, calm and without a trace of emotion.

At his command, dozens of soldiers simultaneously swung their hammers, smashing open the latches securing the throwing arm.

"Buzz—"

The next moment, dozens of millstone-sized boulders shot out from the city wall, tracing precise and deadly parabolas, and crashed into the densest ranks of the Yellow Turban army's charge.

The boulder landed with the force of a plow, cutting through the crowded streets like a shovel of flesh. Those struck directly didn't even have time to scream before turning into indistinguishable piles of minced meat. Those nearby were thrown back by the immense impact, their bones broken and limbs snapped, their cries of agony filling the air.

Everyone on and below the city wall stared blankly at the dozens of areas that had been cleared out in an instant.

"This...this is..." Xiahou Dun's mouth gaped open, and he couldn't close it for a long time.

That night, there was no more fighting in Puyang City.

The Yellow Turban army retreated to a distance of ten miles and dared not approach again.

The appearance of the catapult completely shattered Geng Ling's confidence. After several attempts at small-scale harassment, all of which resulted in him being smashed to pieces by the boulders hurtling down from the city walls, he finally gave up.

Leaving behind tens of thousands of corpses, Geng Ling led his defeated troops in a disheveled retreat, bypassing Puyang and heading towards other counties in Yanzhou. He dared not provoke Cao Cao again, a tough nut to crack, and could only target the weaker opponents.

The siege of Puyang was thus lifted.

The city's residents spontaneously took to the streets to clean up the wounds left by the war. Although their homes were destroyed and their families were separated, everyone's face carried a sense of relief at surviving the catastrophe.

Inside the prefectural governor's residence, however, the atmosphere was far from relaxed.

After the siege was lifted, astonishing news came from Changyi, the capital of the prefecture.

Three days ago, Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, disregarded the advice of others and personally led the main force of the state troops out of the city to meet the Yellow Turban army.

Defeat and death! With the governor dead, the state troops scattered, and the entire Yanzhou became an unguarded piece of meat, allowing hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers to run rampant.

The powerful families and local magnates in various counties and prefectures were all plunged into unprecedented panic.

They sent people everywhere to seek help, but Yuan Shao was in Ji Province and Yuan Shu was in Nanyang, neither of whom could provide immediate relief.

Looking across the entire Yanzhou region, the only one who still had the ability, and had just proven himself capable of fighting the Yellow Turban Army, was just one person.

Cao Cao, the Prefect of Dongjun.

Chen Gong and Bao Xin, covered in dust from their journey, stood beneath the city gate. Behind them were dozens of equally exhausted knights, each holding aloft a wooden box covered in black cloth. Inside was the seal of the Governor of Yanzhou.

The city gates swung open, and Cao Cao led his civil and military officials out quickly.

"Brother Yuncheng! Brother Gongtai!" Cao Cao's grief-stricken voices rang out even before he reached Bao Xin. He rushed forward, grasped Bao Xin's arm, and his eyes reddened. "Upon hearing the devastating news of Liu's passing in Yanzhou, my heart aches terribly! I wish I could lead troops to relieve Yanzhou's burden, but alas, my forces are few and my generals few; I am powerless to help!"

Bao Xin, who had also narrowly escaped the Battle of Cangting, choked up upon seeing Cao Cao: "Lord Mengde! Yanzhou... Yanzhou is in imminent danger! Hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turban rebels are rampant, and the people are displaced. We... we are truly at our wits' end!"

As he spoke, he began to kneel down.

Cao Cao quickly helped him up, then turned to Chen Gong and sighed, "Gongtai, why did it have to come to this? Why did it have to come to this!"

Chen Gong's face was solemn. He bowed deeply to Cao Cao, then straightened up, his gaze piercing: "Lord Mengde, with the nation in peril, I have come today not for personal reasons, but for the sake of the million people of Yanzhou!"

He waved his hand behind him, and the knight behind him immediately presented the wooden box.

Chen Gong personally unveiled the black cloth, revealing the heavy official seal inside.

"Governor Liu has tragically met with misfortune, leaving Yanzhou without a ruler, the people leaderless, and the nation in dire straits! Looking across the land, only Lord Mengde possesses the ambition to restore the nation and the ability to bring peace and stability to the people! His achievements in governing Dongjun and Puyang are evident to all! General Gong, General Bao, and all our colleagues in Yanzhou have discussed this matter and earnestly request Lord Mengde to prioritize the greater good, assume the post of Governor of Yanzhou, and lead the troops of the prefecture and counties to jointly suppress the rebels and bring peace to the people!"

After speaking, Chen Gong and Bao Xin bowed deeply to Cao Cao.

"We request that Lord Mengde assume the post of Governor of Yanzhou!"

The dozens of knights behind them also knelt down on one knee in unison, their voices echoing across the surrounding area.

"We request that Lord Mengde assume the post of Governor of Yanzhou!"

This is a great gift that came from heaven.

Cao Cao was overjoyed and almost burst into laughter. But he couldn't. He took a deep breath, his face showing extreme difficulty and fear.

He waved his hands repeatedly and took a step back: "No, absolutely not! Cao Cao is a Han official, and Liu Bei, the governor of Yanzhou, was appointed by the court. His body is barely cold; how can Cao Cao take his place? This would be an act of disloyalty and injustice. What would the world think of me, Cao Mengde!"