The Three Kingdoms: My Wife is a Great and Good Teacher

So he might as well cooperate with her, maybe Liu Zhaoqing would change his mind about him.

Although Jia Xu did not know Dong Zhuo's exact location, she also provided important information.

That is, Dong Zhuo abandoned his army and Jia Xu in order to escape, making them consumables for his escape.

If one wants to "escape" from this place north of the Yellow River, they can only go south of the Yellow River or continue west to Bingzhou.

As long as we go west along the Yellow River, we may find Dong Zhuo again.

Liu Zhaoqing did not need to command the battle in the dense forest personally. If he handed it over to Cao Chun, Cao Ren and other generals of Cao Cao, they would be able to steadily devour the remnants of Dong Zhuo.

After Liu Zhaoqing left most of his troops to assist in the encirclement and annihilation, he took more than a thousand people to pursue Cao Cao.

Soon, at the edge of Chaoge, having arrived within the scope of Henei County, Liu Zhaoqing saw Cao Cao staying on the bank of the Yellow River.

Cao Cao walked up to her with a calm expression, but regret was evident in his eyes.

"I didn't expect that she would escape."

"I made a wrong judgment. I mistakenly thought that Dong Zhuo could only ride the white wolf." Zhao Yun, who was beside Liu Zhaoqing, said with his head down.

But the responsibility clearly does not lie with her.

"Anyone would think that Dong Zhuo is riding a white wolf. It's not Zilong's fault. Not to mention that Jia Xu's simulated gift of heaven is indeed indistinguishable from the real thing."

"The reason why Dong Zhuo was so determined to escape and didn't put up a single resistance was that, in addition to the fact that we had really dealt with Chao Feng, it was probably because the generals around her had lost their ability to fight."

Liu Zhaoqing looked at the river, and then said to Cao Cao: "Besides, these are all genuine elite troops that she abandoned. Although she can return alive, if she wants to 'recover', it will take a lot of effort from selecting people to training and then accumulating experience in battles. It will take a lot of effort to build new elite troops."

"For us, our goal has been achieved. Not only has Dong Zhuo's plan to swallow up Han Fu been thwarted, but her strength has also been greatly reduced. This also gives our anti-Dong coalition a real chance to overthrow her."

This surprise attack, in which the small was used to gain the greater, was undoubtedly a complete victory for Liu Zhaoqing, and Cao Cao was of course aware of this.

Sighing slightly, Cao Cao said: "That being said, if we can capture Dong Zhuo, or kill her directly, perhaps the world can return to peace."

"Meng De overestimates Dong Zhuo." Liu Zhaoqing said.

"Dong Zhuo could start a chaotic world, but his life or death could not end it. After the princes of various states and counties tasted the power, it was difficult for them to give up this addiction."

"Even if Dong Zhuo died, these princes would feel that there was no obstacle in the world and that they were the ones destined by heaven. They would fight for hegemony even more unscrupulously and become kings and emperors, instead of voluntarily handing over power to the already devastated and ineffective imperial court."

Liu Zhaoqing's words were not entirely meant to comfort Cao Cao. The current situation in the world is indeed like this.

After Cao Cao pondered for a moment, the negative emotions in his heart gradually dissipated.

She exhaled slowly and said, "I was too persistent and almost lost sight of the big picture."

She also realized that her subjective emotions seriously affected her judgment, which was something she had figured out with just a little thought.

Fortunately, Liu Zhaoqing’s reminder was not too late.

And it’s a good thing that it was Liu Zhaoqing who reminded him. If it were Cao Ren or Xiahou Dun or others, Cao Cao would probably still be obsessed with killing Dong Zhuo.

"We should celebrate such a great victory," said Cao Cao.

There was no regret in her eyes anymore when she looked at Daha.

"After Dong Zhuo returns to Luoyang, he will definitely withdraw his troops and transfer most of the elite soldiers from Xiliang and other places to Luoyang. He may even have already done so."

"Our troops are exhausted after such an intense battle. We must rest and reorganize and re-formulate our next strategy."

"Indeed, I think so too." Liu Zhaoqing nodded: "So let's go to Yecheng now."

"Yecheng?" Cao Cao nodded slightly, then suddenly laughed: "This is a good place to celebrate, but isn't Zhao Qing a bit murderous?"

"Otherwise, how can I let him know my own worth?" Liu Zhaoqing sighed.

"In troubled times, even cattle and horses think they are unicorns."

After hearing this, Cao Cao couldn't help laughing.

Just as Cao Cao said, since Dong Zhuo is so determined to make drastic measures, he will definitely not underestimate the anti-Dong coalition and Liu Zhaoqing after returning to Luoyang, and will definitely transfer all his troops over.

Then the remnants must be annihilated quickly. After resolving the issue in Yecheng, Liu Zhaoqing must quickly return to reunite with the main force in front of Hulao Pass. Otherwise, if they are still wandering around in Hebei after Dong Zhuo has completed his troop deployment, they may be defeated one by one.

Liu Zhaoqing led the team to participate in the encirclement and annihilation of Dong Zhuo's remnants again. At dawn, no Dong Zhuo army stood up in the entire dense forest.

After a brief rest, Liu Zhaoqing and Cao Cao ordered their troops to head towards Yecheng.

Before that, Liu Zhaoqing thought for a moment and said to Zhao Yun beside him: "I remember that Zilong should be good at swimming, right? Last time when we were in Pingyuan, he was able to find me in the flood of the Yellow River."

Unexpectedly, Liu Zhaoqing mentioned this matter at this time. Zhao Yun was a little embarrassed and said embarrassedly: "Although I tried my best at that time, I didn't find the lord in the end. I am really ashamed..."

Liu Zhaoqing smiled and said, "It's not your fault. Besides, it was a blessing in disguise for me."

The "blessing" he received of course refers to the encounter with Yinglong at the bottom of the Yellow River.

"The water level of the Yellow River here is much more stable. Zilong, please go to the Yellow River to help me do something." Liu Zhaoqing said.

Then he mysteriously asked Zhao Yun to come closer and whispered in his ear what he was going to do.

After hearing this, Zhao Yun showed a strange look in his eyes, but he immediately bowed and agreed, then turned his horse around and headed towards the Yellow River alone.

"My lord, why did you ask Zilong to go to the Yellow River?" Zhang Liao asked in confusion when he saw Zhao Yun going away.

Liu Zhaoqing smiled and said, "Keep it secret for now."

Soon, Liu Zhaoqing and Cao Cao's team arrived in front of a towering city wall.

As the largest city in Jizhou and even in Hebei, Yecheng, the seat of Jizhou and its capital, is not only large but also extremely prosperous.

The abundance of materials and the bustling trade here are second to none in the whole Hebei.

However, the sun was already high in the sky, but Yecheng was still dead silent.

Except for some soldiers, there were not many people entering the city through the open city gate. On the contrary, one could see civilians constantly rushing out of the city.

"Dong Zhuo conquered Yecheng with almost no effort." Xun Yu looked at Yecheng in front of him and said, "If her goal was not on us, or on Zhaoqing, she would only want to capture Yecheng."

"Then I guess we are still struggling to besiege Yecheng." Liu Zhaoqing continued.

Xun Yu nodded: "Then if she holds on for a few days, she will be able to dispatch another 100,000 troops from the remaining 200,000 troops here. Then, the outcome will be different."

Unfortunately, there is no "if" in reality. It was because Liu Zhaoqing saw Dong Zhuo chasing him that he chose to take the risk and cooperate with the arriving support army to fight Dong Zhuo head-on.

If Dong Zhuo really occupied Yecheng, he would have a different choice.

The soldiers guarding the city gate were not Han Fu's troops, but a few White Horse Volunteers.

Obviously, Gongsun Zan and Zhang Jiao's troops have temporarily taken over Yecheng.

Seeing Liu Zhaoqing coming back, the White Horse Volunteers immediately sent one of them to report, and the rest dismounted and saluted Liu Zhaoqing.

After nodding, Liu Zhaoqing, Cao Cao and others entered Yecheng smoothly.

As they saw from outside, Yecheng also seemed a bit desolate, and most of the houses around the streets were in ruins. This was due to the fact that Yecheng was breached last night.

Liu Zhaoqing went all the way to the governor's mansion and soon met Gongsun Zan, his daughter and others on the road.

They were all very happy after seeing Liu Zhaoqing.

Gongsun Zan told Liu Zhaoqing that Yuan Shao's reinforcements had been taken away by Yan Liang and Wen Chou, and he was also worried that Dong Zhuo would take advantage of this gap to counterattack the anti-Dong coalition at Hulao Pass.

Liu Zhaoqing also agreed with this, saying that it is never a bad thing to be on guard.

Then when Liu Zhaoqing asked Jiao'er where Guo Jia was, the answer he got was that they were besieging the governor's mansion.

"Siege?" Liu Zhaoqing frowned slightly.

"Yes, Han Fu refused to surrender." Gongsun Zan said helplessly, "I originally planned to attack directly, but Madam Zhang said that there were more important people inside besides Han Fu, so it was not appropriate to attack by force, so we surrounded them."

"This Han Fu is actually quite courageous." Xiahou Dun said in surprise.

Cao Cao on the side smiled and retorted: "Yuan Rang overestimated him. The reason why he refused to surrender is that he thinks he still has a chance."

"Ah?" Xiahou Yuan at the side was surprised: "No way? He still thinks he is a big shot?"

"Most of his troops were killed by Dong Zhuo, and he has lost the support of the people. There is no possibility for him to rise again," said Cao Ren.

Cao Cao shook his head: "You guys don't understand him at all."

"It's not his own men who gave him the confidence. Do you remember what Zhao Qing told us on the road about what happened after they separated from us?"

Cao Cao did not play dumb. He answered the question directly: "Having been blessed by the 'divine creature', Han Fu probably still feels that he is destined to be the one."

"..."

I have to say that Cao Cao was quite good at judging people.

When Liu Zhaoqing arrived in front of the governor's mansion, he saw Liu, Guan, Zhang, Zhang Jiao and Guo Jia standing together, surrounded by a large number of soldiers who were surrounding the mansion.

"Damn it, did Han Fu eat some poisonous mushroom and get a headache? He really thinks he's nobody."

"Madam Zhang, please give the order quickly. As long as you give the order, I, Zhang Fei, will rush in alone, pull that idiot out, and force him to kneel in front of you!"

Zhang Fei had a loud voice, but one could tell from her words that she did not understand Zhang Jiao's strategy, and that she found it outrageous that Han Fu dared to resist.

While Zhang Jiao was still thinking, Liu Bei beside her suddenly noticed Liu Zhaoqing.

"Zhao Qing is back!"

This sentence made everyone look at Liu Zhaoqing who was riding over there.

Zhang Jiao felt relieved after seeing An Ran's return. Then she looked at the woman next to Liu Zhaoqing, whose body was covered in blood.

This person should be Cao Cao. Although Zhang Jiao had never seen Cao Cao, she could guess from Liu Zhaoqing's description and the other party's description in her previous correspondence with Xun Yu that the person who dared to kill the enemy personally must be Cao Cao who dared to assassinate Dong.

Unlike others, when Cao Cao noticed Zhang Jiao was looking at him, he did not feel embarrassed or avoid her gaze. Instead, he looked at her openly, smiled, and nodded slightly.

Zhang Jiao also nodded in response, but she started thinking in her heart.

This Cao Cao was undoubtedly very capable, even more powerful than any woman she had ever seen. This was not only due to her strength, but also her temperament.

Can Qingjun really control such a person?

Liu Zhaoqing did not notice the eye contact between Zhang Jiao and Cao Cao. After getting off his horse, he came to the mansion. After Guo Jia nodded to Xun Yu, he told Liu Zhaoqing what had happened.

Liu Zhaoqing also understood that Zhang Jiao did not choose to attack forcefully because of the consideration for the generals under Han Fu. She knew what Liu Zhaoqing lacked now, and she also understood that Han Fu was not the key. His generals and the people of Jizhou were the greatest wealth.

Otherwise, ordinary armies would have started burning, killing and looting after capturing Yecheng. Only a force like Liu Zhaoqing, in which even a small soldier in the army firmly trusted, had the ability and conditions to enter the city without committing any massacre.

"Then, I'll go in directly." Liu Zhaoqing said after listening.

"Ah? That won't work, Zhao Qing, this is too dangerous. Han Fu has many talented people under his command!" Gongsun Zan said quickly upon hearing this.

"It's okay." Liu Zhaoqing waved his hand.

"You guys wait outside, Wenyuan will come with me."

Liu Zhaoqing was not worried about his own safety because he knew that those who were still waiting by Han Fu's side must be loyal and righteous people.

Han Fu is their lord, they can't give up.

In this case, Liu Zhaoqing could just go in directly, because loyal people could not fail to see that he had once again saved Yecheng, Jizhou and even the entire Hebei Province.

And with Zhang Liao as his companion, it is safe enough.

The gate of the mansion was closed. Liu Zhaoqing came to the door and knocked. Then the person on the other side of the door slowly opened a crack as if they knew Liu Zhaoqing was coming.

Liu Zhaoqing didn't hesitate and walked in with Zhang Liao.

After entering, Liu Zhaoqing saw Tian Feng and Zhang He.

"Greetings, Marquis of Changping." Tian Feng bowed and saluted Liu Zhaoqing.

Zhang He also bowed in greeting.

"Mr. Tian has become a stranger. It was Mr. Tian's letter to the capital that saved me from being persecuted by the Ten Attendants." Liu Zhaoqing said with a smile.

"Feng was just stating the facts. What Changping Hou did himself is the key." Tian Feng said.

Then Tian Feng discovered that Liu Zhaoqing only brought Zhang Liao with him, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"Marquis Changping really does...trust his lord."

Liu Zhaoqing shook his head: "I trust you."

Zhang He was slightly surprised.

"Okay, we'll have plenty of time to chat later. Where is Han Fu now? And where are Gao Lan, Shen Pei and the others?" Liu Zhaoqing asked.

"Gao Lan and Shen Pei are beside the lord." Tian Feng said.

"As for my lord..."

"What's wrong?" Zhang Liao was puzzled. "Did something happen to him?"

"Nothing happened and my injuries are now stable." Tian Feng said with a guilty look on his face.