The Three Kingdoms: Rise to Power Starting with Intercepting Liu Bei

"Hold on, soldiers! Reinforcements will arrive in a few days. The governor has said that there will be a reward of ten taels of gold for defeating Cao Cao's army!"

On the city wall, Cao Bao, holding his sword, paced back and forth amidst a hail of arrows, constantly boosting the morale of his soldiers and even offering generous rewards.

This is real money, enough to buy a warhorse, and if it were all used to buy food, it would be enough to survive for a long time.

"Defeat Cao Cao's army and protect Xuzhou! Defeat Cao Cao's army and protect Xuzhou!"

Upon hearing that Tao Qian would reward them for defeating Cao Cao's army, the soldiers became incredibly excited, some even shouting slogans.

Lured by monetary rewards, they repelled wave after wave of Cao Cao's attacks.

On the other side, Cao Ren, who was in charge of command, saw that the siege of Xuzhou had dragged on for a long time and that his own soldiers had suffered heavy losses. He immediately rode up to Cao Cao and offered his opinion:

"My lord, the Xuzhou army is putting up a very strong resistance and has repelled several of our attacks. Should we stop and rest for a while to regroup our morale before launching another attack?"

Looking at Xuzhou, which he couldn't conquer after a long siege, Cao Cao was extremely anxious. Since the start of the war, they hadn't even broken through the city gates. His boast of conquering Xuzhou and beheading Tao Qian in two days seemed unlikely to come true.

"Cao Ren, do as you say. Also, let the brothers have a good meal with wine and meat. We must capture Xuzhou tomorrow."

"Furthermore, whoever is the first to ascend the city wall of Tancheng will be richly rewarded!"

Cao Cao spoke with a solemn expression. He absolutely could not let his boast be exposed like this. If word got out, where would he put his face?

"Rest assured, my lord, tomorrow I will personally lead the army to attack Xuzhou, cut off that old man Tao Qian's head, and offer it as a sacrifice to the spirit of my late father!"

Cao Ren patted his chest and solemnly assured him that this was the first time he had encountered such a situation in Xuzhou in all his years of military service.

"Waaaaah!"

As Cao Ren ordered the retreat, a brief period of calm ensued, but everyone knew that the battle to come would be even more intense.

·············

Just as Cao Cao's army was locked in a stalemate in Xuzhou, Qin Xuan received accurate intelligence and began his operation.

On Liu Bowen's advice, Qin Xuan gave Li Jing 10,000 of his 15,000 troops, sending them straight to Cao Cao's stronghold, Yanzhou, while he and Xue Rengui led the remaining troops to reinforce Xuzhou.

This would put strategic pressure on Cao Cao, and at the same time, it would allow Cao Cao to take the opportunity to effectively control most of the Xuzhou region.

"Pharmacist, whether Cao Cao can withdraw his troops this time depends on you. The entire 10,000-strong Great Wall Legion is under your command. In case of any unforeseen circumstances, make decisions accordingly, but do not act impulsively!"

Before leaving, Qin Xuan earnestly instructed Li Jing that the other side's actions directly affected their life and death.

"Rest assured, my lord, I understand the situation!"

Faced with Qin Xuan's important entrustment, Li Jing simply replied with a word and immediately led an army of ten thousand men toward Yanzhou.

Watching Li Jing's army march away, Qin Xuan stood there in a daze, unable to come back to his senses for a long time.

"My lord, we should set off now. You should trust General Li. He and General Xue Rengui are both exceptional military talents. He will surely accomplish the strategic goals we envisioned."

Liu Bowen coughed softly, attracting Qin Xuan's attention and reassuring him.

Hearing Liu Bowen's words of comfort, Qin Xuan finally put aside his worries and led the remaining troops to Tancheng.

After marching for several hours, Qin Xuan's troops arrived at the rear of Cao Cao's army at nightfall, more than twenty li away from Cao Cao's main camp.

"My lord, scouts report that Cao Cao's army has suffered heavy losses in the past two days. Corpses pile up like mountains in Tancheng, and their morale has plummeted. We can launch a surprise attack under the cover of night and catch them off guard!"

Just as they approached the battlefield, Xue Rengui arrived before Qin Xuan with firsthand intelligence. After a brief report, he offered his suggestions.

However, as soon as he finished speaking, Liu Bowen gently shook his head and said in a calm but firm tone, "My lord, although General Xue's suggestion has its merits, this plan is not feasible."

"Oh? Why?" Qin Xuan raised an eyebrow slightly, turning his gaze to Liu Bowen, waiting for his explanation.

"A night raid may seem like a surprise attack, but it actually has many drawbacks."

"Cao Cao's army will definitely defend it strictly, and may even set up an ambush. Moreover, Cao Cao's army is not incompetent. Although they may be lax at night, the defensive facilities of their camp must be complete."

"Our army launched a surprise attack in the dark, making it difficult to accurately assess their defensive weaknesses. If we attack rashly, we are very likely to get into a bitter battle or even suffer heavy losses. In addition, the troops in Tancheng may not take advantage of this opportunity to attack us from both sides."

"Finally, our troops had traveled a long distance and were exhausted, so it was not the best time for a surprise attack."

At this point, Liu Bowen sighed slightly, "Therefore, launching a surprise attack at this time is a poor strategy."

"My lord, I was too hasty. Master Bowen's assessment is far more prudent; a night raid is indeed a poor strategy!"

Xue Rengui finally came to his senses and bowed his head in a gesture of apology. Since this was their first operation, he hadn't thought much about it and was only focused on fighting the enemy, forgetting the strategies taught in military books.

"Alright, Rengui, I know you're eager to make a name for yourself, I won't blame you, just be more careful next time!"

Qin Xuan waved his hand and said that as a time traveler, he had long understood the eagerness of generals to make achievements and would not blame them for it.

He then issued an order to set up camp in place to allow the army to rest and recuperate, and to find an opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Cao Cao's army the next day.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Cao Cao personally led his troops in a fierce attack on Xuzhou.

The war drums thundered, shaking the heavens and the earth. Cao Cao's shield soldiers, carrying huge shields, slowly advanced like a moving city wall, while archers continuously fired arrows from the rear, suppressing the defenders on the walls of Xuzhou.

Cao Ren led his soldiers and launched a fierce attack on Tancheng.

The catapults roared, sending huge stones flying towards the city walls, causing bricks and stones to crumble and resulting in heavy casualties among the defenders of Tancheng.

Standing atop the watchtower, gazing at the devastation on the city wall, Cao Cao wore a smug smile.

Although the defenders of Xuzhou City fought tenaciously, they were gradually unable to hold out under the fierce attack of Cao Cao's army.

He couldn't help but proudly declare to the Cao family generals beside him, "The day we take Xuzhou is the day!"

"Congratulations, my lord! Xuzhou will soon be yours!"

"Yes, that old man Tao Qian will also become our prisoner!"

Xiahou Dun and the others began to flatter him, one after another, as if Xuzhou had already been captured.

However, just as Cao Cao and his men were feeling triumphant about their imminent capture of Xuzhou, a sudden burst of chaotic shouts and battle cries came from behind.

Everyone was startled and hurriedly turned around to look. They saw dust flying and flames shooting into the sky in the distance, as if a thousand troops were charging towards them.

"What happened? Yuanrang, quickly send someone to check it out!"

Cao Cao roared and ordered Xiahou Dun, who was beside him, to send someone to investigate the situation.

"promise!"

Xiahou Dun dared not delay and immediately prepared to investigate. Just then, a soldier covered in blood and in a disheveled state rushed over in a hurry.

"Report! My lord, something terrible has happened! An unidentified and uncountable army is launching a massive attack on our rear! Our brothers are almost overwhelmed!"

Their tone was filled with terror, as if encountering an army was as terrifying as encountering demons from hell.

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao's blood rushed to his head, his face turned red, and he pointed a trembling finger at the other party, his eyes wide like copper bells, clearly incredulous.

"Wh-what?"

Having already lost a significant amount of supplies and soldiers, and on the verge of capturing Xuzhou, the sudden appearance of an unidentified army is simply unacceptable.

If Cao Cao hadn't seen the messenger covered in blood with his own eyes, he would have thought it was an illusion.

"My lord, please make a decision quickly!" the soldier cried, his head bowed. If they didn't come up with a solution soon, they wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.

Guo Jia, the strategist beside him, said in a deep voice with a solemn expression, "My lord, this enemy force is coming with great force and is clearly well-prepared. If we do not deal with them quickly, all our previous efforts will be in vain!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao gritted his teeth and ordered, "I hereby order you to personally lead the rear guard back immediately to reinforce and annihilate them. At the same time, I instruct Zixiao to strengthen the offensive against Tancheng to prevent them from attacking our army from both sides!"

"Yes, my lord, rest assured, I will go and meet them myself."

Xiahou Dun immediately accepted the order with a solemn vow.