Three Kingdoms: Start by marrying Cai Yan, then vie for supremacy.

2

The Beiwei Army, the Lu Family Army, the Azure Dragon Camp, the Vermilion Bird Camp… any one of these reinforcements would thwart Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan's plans. These are all battle-hardened forces, as evidenced by the Battle of Yanzhou—none of them are weak.

"But Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan insist on thinking that way!"

Cao Cao chuckled and shook his head.

Truly "wise"!

"Report!"

Suddenly, Cao Ren rushed in, cupped his hands in greeting, and urgently reported to Cao Cao: "My lord! Something terrible has happened! Zhao Yun led 50,000 Qinglong troops to break through Sishui Pass last night, and has now occupied Luoyang and Henan Yin, and even shows signs of invading Hongnong County!"

"Is that really true?!"

Cao Cao and Xun Yu were both surprised upon hearing this.

Cao Cao pressed him for details: "Explain in detail! Why did Zhao Yun launch a surprise attack on the Governor of Henan and Hongnong? At this moment, they should have been stationed in Yanzhou to prepare for the battle against the allied forces of Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan. Why did they turn around and attack from Sili?"

This is truly baffling!

"?"

Cao Ren was taken aback by the question: "What Yuan Shao, Gongsun Zan?"

He suddenly realized something and exclaimed, "Could it be that these two families are going to join forces to attack the strategist? Does the strategist know anything about this?"

Cao Cao frowned deeply: "With his intelligence, he should have seen through everything perfectly, so why did he choose this moment to divide his forces and attack the two commanderies of Henan Yin and Hongnong?" He then urgently asked Cao Ren, "After Zhao Yun captured the cities, did he continue his advance?"

If Lu Feng were to target Hanoi and Hedong, Cao Cao would have no choice but to confront him in battle prematurely—something he certainly did not wish for at the moment.

His power base is currently unstable, and he needs to bide his time. What's more troublesome is that his main forces are still fighting the Xiongnu and Xianbei in the north, and he is unable to fight on two fronts.

"No, not at all."

Cao Ren shook his head: "After Zhao Yun captured the two places, he stopped his troops and instead focused on building defensive fortifications." This action left him completely puzzled.

"Excellent! Very good!"

Cao Cao breathed a sigh of relief: "It seems that Ziyi intends to take the initiative in controlling the western passes, leaving room for maneuver."

"That's true."

Xun Yu nodded, having already vaguely grasped the deeper meaning behind Lu Feng's plan.

"My lord is absolutely right! While the Marquis of Wu may indeed intend to seize the western gateway, I fear he has other plans!"

Xun Yu's gaze sharpened slightly as he pondered.

"Oh? What do you mean?"

Cao Cao became interested and raised an eyebrow to ask.

He didn't realize the mystery at first.

Xun Yu stated frankly, "The Marquis of Wu has likely already foreseen our army's future plans! Even if he doesn't know everything, he has at least guessed some of them!"

"He knows that after our army pacifies Bingzhou, our next step will definitely be to take Sili, and then we will plot to seize Chang'an and the surrounding areas!"

"Therefore, we should seize Henan Yin and Hongnong County first to gain the upper hand! If these places fall into our hands, it will be much more difficult for him to take them back!"

"Furthermore, if our army were to launch an attack on Yanzhou from Sishui Pass, it would be as easy as turning one's hand!"

"Lord Wu's actions were intended to prevent future troubles!"

At this point, Xun Yu appeared slightly puzzled: "But why was he so certain that our army could capture Chang'an and the surrounding areas? And why did he allow our army to act?"

Cao Ren continued, "Perhaps he is unwilling to go to war with our army for the time being? After all, he is about to clash with Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao."

"rational!"

Xun Yu and Cao Cao nodded at the same time.

Cao Cao added, "Perhaps there's another reason—is this lad perhaps deliberately trying to get me to manage the Three Auxiliary Regions of Chang'an for him?"

He suddenly realized that Lu Feng was using him as a pawn!

"You bastard!"

Was I being looked down upon?

"?"

Cao Ren and Xun Yu were both taken aback, momentarily unable to follow Cao Cao's train of thought.

"Why do you say that, my lord? Such a reason is absurd! I believe that the explanation of not wanting to start a war is more credible."

Xun Yu chuckled and shook his head.

How could our lord make such a guess?

Is the intention to allow the enemy to grow stronger, solely to use them to govern the territory?

How could such an absurd thing happen in the world!

Even if there are hidden reasons, it is absolutely impossible.

"No!"

Cao Cao raised his hand to stop him, saying, "You don't understand that boy's mind! He's different from ordinary people; he values ​​human life above all else and harbors extreme hatred for foreign tribes. He's absolutely capable of doing something like this!"

"Of course, it's also because he's currently unable to wage war against me; otherwise, he could easily have taken Chang'an and the surrounding areas."

Xun Yu nodded in agreement: "Besides, Dong Zhuo is not someone to be trifled with. He probably wants us to weaken each other, slowing down our progress and buying him time to expand!"

After all, there were still many feudal lords in the Central Plains waiting to be subdued.

Thinking of Lu Feng's hatred for foreign tribes and his agreement with Cao Cao, Xun Yu became increasingly convinced that he would indeed do so.

Just look at Bingzhou to know what this place was like before Cao Cao arrived.

Foreign tribes roamed freely, and the people suffered greatly.

But now?

In just a few months, except for a few desolate and fallen counties in the north, the foreign tribes in other places have been basically eliminated.

The White Wave bandits were also defeated and incorporated into Cao Cao's army.

"You can do that?"

Cao Ren, who was standing to the side, was dumbfounded.

He felt that his teacher Lu Feng and his brother's thinking was so unconventional that he couldn't keep up at all.

"In that case, there's no need to worry too much about Zhao Yun."

Once Cao Cao understood this, he felt much more at ease.

Of course, we must not let our guard down.

"But in the future, it will be much more difficult for us to send troops into the Central Plains."

Xun Yu sighed.

He then advised Cao Cao, "My lord, I suggest we divide our forces and quickly seize Hedong Commandery!"

"Oh?"

Cao Cao nodded, then asked with a puzzled look, "Why didn't Wenruo mention Hanoi? It's equally important, densely populated, and quite prosperous."

Xun Yu smiled wryly: "Because now is not the time to turn against Yuan Shao!"

"Zhang Yang of Hanoi has already surrendered to Yuan Shao. Moreover, Hanoi borders Wei Commandery in Ji Province and is only a stone's throw from Ye City. How could Yuan Shao sit idly by and watch us seize Hanoi? If we forcibly take it, he will surely turn against us!"

Cao Cao nodded and said, "Even now, he has almost broken ties with us—our food supplies for this month have been cut off, which shows that he has figured out our situation. If he were not about to fight Ziyi and then have to deal with Gongsun Zan, he probably would have already turned against us."

Struggling to survive in the narrow space is truly a difficult task.

"That's right," Xun Yu solemnly agreed. "We must seize this fleeting opportunity and do everything we can to strengthen our forces. Only in this way can we contend with Yuan Shao and Lu Feng in the future and gain the upper hand in the struggle among the warlords."

He still harbored the deep-seated wish to restore the Han Dynasty.

"What Wenruo says is absolutely right." Cao Cao smiled and raised his eyebrows. "These past few years have truly been a godsend for development! If we hadn't decisively abandoned the quagmire of Yanzhou and turned our attention to Bingzhou, we would probably have been defeated and routed long ago, crushed to dust by Ziyi's iron cavalry, and prematurely withdrawn from the game of this chaotic world."

Speaking of this, he couldn't help but feel secretly glad for his decision back then.

"This is all thanks to your foresight and wisdom, my lord," Xun Yu said with a smile and a cupped hand.

"Hahaha!" Cao Cao laughed loudly, "How can I not be quick-witted? Someone like me, without a noble family background, could be doomed if I'm not careful."

"Lacking the illustrious lineage of Yuan Shao and Yuan Gonglu, whose families had held high office for four generations, a single gesture from them would garner a massive following."

"Nor does he possess the keen insight of my virtuous brother Ziyi, who laid out his plans for the world early on and built an impregnable empire from scratch."

"It's not even as good as the luck of Liu Jingsheng, Liu Junlang, and Tao Gongzu, who were granted fertile lands."

"There are few people I admire in my life, but Lu Ziyi is one of them."

Landwind's current success is almost entirely due to its own efforts.

Even a behemoth like the Lu Clan Chamber of Commerce was created by his own hands.

At most, they merely used the family name to gain initial advantages.

"Lord Wu is indeed no ordinary man," Xun Yu sighed, deeply agreeing with Cao Cao's words.

Although Xun Yu did not agree with Lu Feng's ideas and ambitions, he could not ignore his extraordinary talent.

"Forget it! Let's not talk about it anymore!"

Cao Cao waved his hand to interrupt, then turned to Cao Ren and ordered: "Cao Ren, you are hereby ordered to lead 30,000 troops south to conquer Hedong. You must capture it within ten days!"

"Your humble servant obeys!" Cao Ren clasped his hands in acceptance and departed.

"Let's see how this great battle between Yuan Shao, Gongsun Zan, and Ziyi ends. The best strategy is for both sides to suffer heavy losses," Cao Cao said with a smile, gazing southeast.

Xun Yu stroked his long beard and said, "It's not necessarily impossible... unless the Marquis of Wu is truly unprepared." Even so, he himself felt that such a scenario was unlikely to materialize.

A month later, Gongsun Zan, in alliance with Yuan Shao, launched a surprise attack on Jinan with 200,000 elite troops. Fifty thousand vanguard troops crossed the Yellow River and headed straight for the Xuanwu Camp Pass.

"All troops, charge!"

Gongsun Zan, who was watching the battle from the north bank, and Wen Chou, the commander of Yuan's army, looked at each other and smiled.

"We need to speed up the crossing of the river. Although the Xuanwu Camp has only been newly built for a few months, its strength is not comparable, and I am afraid it will be difficult to achieve a quick victory," Gongsun Zan said, stroking his beard.

Wen Chou nodded: "Leaving 20,000 to guard the north bank is sufficient. Once we capture the bridgehead, we can directly attack Donglai."

Due to the limited number of warships, only about 20,000 soldiers could be transported each time—this was already the result of the two armies' best efforts.

At this moment, a hundred miles upstream, the East China Sea Fleet was speeding downstream.

"I need..." Sun Ce asked Gan Ning.

"No need!" Gan Ning replied decisively.

(

Gan Ning waved his hand triumphantly and said, "I just received a secret report from our guards that the enemy's first wave of 50,000 troops has just crossed the Yellow River! We will set off immediately and arrive at the battlefield in five quarters of an hour. By then, the enemy's main force of 100,000 will have completely crossed the river, providing us with the perfect opportunity for a surprise attack!"

He didn't lack the desire to annihilate the enemy, but the garrison in Jinan was limited. His 20,000-strong navy, plus Chen Dao's 30,000 Qingzhou troops and 50,000 Xuanwu soldiers, totaled only 80,000 men. Annihilating these 100,000 enemy troops was already no easy task, let alone a force of 200,000. Having too much ambition would only lead to choking.

Xu Chu slapped his thigh and laughed, "One hundred thousand is enough! The goal of this battle is to severely damage the enemy's morale! If we can incite them to fight amongst themselves, that would be perfect!"

"Exactly." Guo Jia took a sip of wine, narrowed his eyes, and said, "Remember, if you encounter Gongsun Zan, you must let him escape—this is something our lord specifically instructed us to do."

"What about Yuan Shao?" Sun Ce asked urgently.

Xu Chu glanced sideways and said, "Pingyuan County is now Gongsun Zan's territory. How dare Yuan Shao go there in person? Aren't he afraid of having his head chopped off by Gongsun Zan?"

"Absolutely!" Sun Ce scratched his head in embarrassment, secretly thinking that he was not as thoughtful as the seemingly simple-minded Xu Chu.

Having fought alongside Lu Feng's army for some time, Sun Ce has gradually been influenced by the spirit of this iron-willed force. Under Lu Feng's subtle influence, he is slowly developing a deep loyalty to his lord. This is true not only for him, but also for other former generals like Huang Gai and Han Dang.

Five quarters of an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Fifty thousand main troops have boarded transport ships and are heading towards the south bank, while several thousand soldiers have already begun landing!

Although Gongsun Zan did not cross the river, Gongsun Yue, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Yan Liang, and others had already led their troops to the other side.

"Report! General! Enemy fleet spotted upstream!" The sentry rushed over to report.

"Is this true?" Gongsun Zan was greatly surprised upon hearing this.

"It's absolutely true! The enemy navy is less than ten miles away!"

"Absurd!" Wen Chou roared. "Unless Lu Feng had planned this all along, how could he have deployed defenses so quickly? If he knew our movements, why didn't he send his main force back to reinforce us?"

"Could it be... that they deliberately lured us into a trap?" The high-ranking official looked worried, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

"kill--!"

The battle on the opposite bank of the river was fierce, and Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei led 18,000 vanguard troops to attack the fortress.

"Ready—Fire!" On the city wall, Huang Xu and Xu Huang calmly gave the order.

"Whoosh!" A rain of arrows poured down from the sky.

"Shield formation defense!" Liu Bei ordered urgently.

The front-line swordsmen and shieldmen immediately formed ranks to cover the advance of the troops behind them carrying ladders...

"boom!!"

Just as Liu Bei's army was about to hold their ground, a sudden sound of shields shattering rang out, followed by the muffled thuds of arrows piercing flesh.

"Well!!"

A mournful wail suddenly arose. Liu Bei looked in the direction of the sound and saw several giant crossbow bolts piercing through iron shields, pinning soldiers to their deaths in pools of blood.