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

Cao Ren then sent scouts back to Chang'an overnight to request reinforcements from Xun Yu, while Cao Cao and others rested in Xin County, continuing to manufacture siege equipment and waiting for reinforcements to continue the attack.

The sent-out scouts were not delayed at all. Except for a short rest, they ran at high speed and finally returned to Chang'an in less than five days.

Upon learning of the deaths of Guo Jia and others in Nanyang, Xun Yu was struck dumb, his body trembling uncontrollably, his eyes filled with tears.

Guo Jia was his fellow townsman and friend, whose talent and strategy were admirable. Now that he had fallen in a foreign land, Xun Yu was filled with endless grief and regret.

"Fengxiao, how could you leave like this? We had promised to spend our old age together!"

Xun Yu choked back tears as he recounted the promise he made to Guo Jia before his death, but who would have thought that before it could be fulfilled, Guo Jia would pass away before him.

"Lord Xun, please accept our condolences. The coffins of the young master and the others are currently on their way back. We urge you to hasten the mobilization of the army; our lord and the others are waiting!"

Just then, the scouts inside the hall suddenly spoke up, reminding the other side to quickly dispatch reinforcements to Nanyang.

"Alright, you can go and rest now!"

Upon hearing the scout's reminder, Xun Yu realized there was another messenger in the hall. He wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and waved the messenger away.

He then went to the place where Cao Cao handled government affairs, summoned the remaining civil and military officials, told them about this bolt from the blue, and proposed the idea of ​​not sending reinforcements.

As soon as Xun Yu finished speaking, the people in the hall began to whisper and discuss among themselves, not understanding why Xun Yu would disobey Cao Cao's orders. But before they could ask, Xun Yu took the initiative to explain the reason:

"Gentlemen, our lord is currently in deep sorrow. He is determined to conquer Nanyang County regardless of the consequences. However, our situation is dire and we are simply unable to support our lord in a prolonged campaign."

"In addition, the weather is getting colder now, and logistical support is extremely difficult. Therefore, I have decided to go to Nanyang to personally persuade our lord to withdraw his troops."

"And...!" Xun Yu paused for a moment, hesitated for a moment, and then voiced his guess:

"Moreover, there must be some secrets hidden here that we don't know about."

"Wenruo, what do you mean...?" Upon hearing Xun Yu's words, someone immediately followed up by asking the reason behind it, but Xun Yu did not explain much. This was just his own guess, without any solid evidence to support it.

"Gentlemen, what you need to do now is prepare for Fengxiao and the others' funeral. Once our lord returns, the rest..."

Everything else remains the same.

Before anyone could react, Xun Yu had already left the hall, mounted a horse that had been prepared at the door, and, under the protection of more than a hundred cavalrymen, rushed to the front line in Nanyang to advise Cao Cao.

Seven or eight days later, Xun Yu finally arrived in Xin County and met Cao Cao, who was still immersed in the grief of losing his son.

When he stepped into the hall and saw Cao Cao for the first time, he was shocked to find that the once spirited Cao Mengde was nowhere to be found, replaced by a haggard-looking, bewildered old man.

"My lord!" Xun Yu's soft call pulled Cao Cao back to reality from his endless grief.

The moment Cao Cao looked up at Xun Yu, tears of sorrow and grief streamed silently down his face once again.

"Wen~~Wenruo, what brings you here? Where's the backup?"

Cao Cao suppressed his grief, his voice trembling with emotion.

"My lord, let's retreat! We are at a disadvantage in terms of both timing and manpower. Continuing our attack on Nanyang County will only lead to even greater losses!"

Xun Yu slowly approached Cao Cao and gently advised him in a pleading tone.

When he first entered the city, he found it in complete chaos. Innocent people were suffering endless misery. The cries of children, the pitiful screams of women, and the pleas of the elderly mingled together, creating a horrific scene.

But he couldn't stop it all.

Upon hearing that Xun Yu had come to persuade him to withdraw his troops, Cao Cao immediately retorted angrily, "Wenruo, Zhang Xiu has inflicted such heavy losses on me, and Liu Biao has even hidden him away. How can I let this go so easily?"

Putting aside the deaths of general Dian Wei and strategist Guo Jia, Cao Cao would not give up just because his carefully cultivated successor Cao Ang had died. If he did not conquer Nanyang County, wouldn't their deaths have been in vain?

"My lord, if you remain obstinate, I will say no more. But I must tell you that winter is fast approaching, and our stored provisions are simply insufficient to sustain us in a prolonged standoff with Liu Biao, who occupies Jingzhou."

"Moreover, Yuan Shao of Ji Province, Qin Xuan of Xu Province, and Yuan Shu of Yu Province will almost certainly take this opportunity to eliminate us."

"Then we'll be close to destruction!"

Faced with Cao Cao's anger, Xun Yu did not back down. Instead, he gave Cao Cao a detailed analysis of the adverse consequences of his insistence on attacking Nanyang.

Now that Cao Cao has launched an attack on Nanyang, the surrounding warlords must have noticed it. Once Liu Biao and Cao Cao are locked in a stalemate, those warlords will definitely take this opportunity to launch military action.

After listening to Xun Yu's words, Cao Cao fell into deep thought, and his previously furious expression began to calm down.

Xun Yu, who was constantly observing Cao Cao's changing expression, seized the opportunity to press his advantage and continued his analysis:

"My lord, Zhang Xiu's whereabouts are currently unknown, but based on my speculation, he must have defected to one of the warlords. Otherwise, a mere warrior like Zhang Xiu could not have come up with such a plan."

Xun Yu analyzed that Zhang Xiu came from the Xiliang army and was brave but lacked strategy. There must have been a strategist with exceptional wisdom who planned everything for Zhang Xiu, otherwise Zhang Xiu alone could not have set up such a trap.

After all, even Guo Jia was kept in the dark, which shows that this must have been premeditated.

"Uh~~~~"

After pondering for a long time, Cao Cao felt that Xun Yu's analysis made more and more sense. He had dealt with the Xiliang army in his early years and had some understanding of them. The generals of the Xiliang army were basically brutes. Even if Zhang Xiu was brave and resourceful, he could not fool the wise and resourceful Guo Jia.

But now even Guo Jia has fallen into the trap. There must be a strategist whom Zhang Xiu trusts very much behind him, otherwise Zhang Xiu would not have trusted him so much.

"Wenruo, what do you mean?"

Cao Cao wanted to know what Xun Yu was thinking. The fact that Xun Yu came alone to persuade him meant he already had a plan; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so confident.

"My lord, we should cease all military operations and withdraw from Nanyang now."

"Then hurry up and find Zhang Xiu's whereabouts. Whoever's territory he ends up in is the mastermind behind it."

"You mean Liu Biao was completely unaware of this?"

Cao Cao interrupted Xun Yu and couldn't help but ask his own question.

"That's right!" Xun Yu nodded and explained, "If Liu Biao were the mastermind, Zhang Xiu wouldn't have needed to retreat at all. Instead, we should have secretly provided Zhang Xiu with provisions and reinforcements to resist our army's attack."

"But the fact that he sent his generals to seize Nanyang before us shows that he was completely unaware of this."

"After all, there's no need for him to get involved himself and cause trouble!"

"Okay, we'll do it your way!"

After a long while, Cao Cao adopted Xun Yu's suggestion, and his army of more than 15,000 withdrew from Xin County the next morning and returned to Chang'an.