My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Chapter 272 With the world at peace, I will settle accounts with you all later! Cao Cao: Xiao He is treating me like a dog again? My liver hurts!
Chenliu City, the main hall of the prefectural government.

Cao Cao leaned on his cane with one hand and examined the urgent report sent by Cao Chun with the other, his eyes fixed on the map.

Three days ago, Cao Chun sent an urgent report stating that Guan Yu was leading his troops westward, intending to attack Luoyang.

To prevent the fall of Luoyang, he had ordered Xu Huang to lead 40,000 main forces northward from Xinzheng to take the lead in defending Luoyang.

"Big-eared thief, your appetite is truly enormous. Yuzhou is not enough; you also want to blockade the Yellow River and swallow up the entire Henan region, along with my hundreds of thousands of troops, all in one go."

"With such a big appetite, aren't you afraid of stuffing yourself to death?"

After staring for a long time, Cao Cao snorted coldly, a sarcastic sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.

Cheng Yu smiled and pointed to the map, saying:
"It must be said that Guan Yu's plan was indeed ingenious and surprisingly effective."

"However, this plan was ultimately not quite right, and Dong Gongren saw through it."

"Xu Shu and Fa Zheng are ultimately not like Xiao He, that sorcerer."

Cao Cao nodded slightly, but also gave a cold laugh.

He was still confident in Dong Zhao's wisdom and strategy.

His ability to see through Guan Yu's plan to attack Luoyang and Liu Bei's treacherous scheme to cut off the Yellow River proved his judgment.

“Father, although Dong Gongren saw through Guan Yu’s plot and entered Luoyang in time to defend it, that goes without saying.”

"But once Xu Gongming's 40,000 troops are transferred away, Xuchang will only have 20,000 troops left."

"Your Majesty, I always feel uneasy about leaving only 20,000 troops to guard Xuchang."

"Your Majesty, I believe it would be appropriate to send some troops south to reinforce the defenses of Xuchang?"

Cao Chong, standing behind them, offered a word of warning.

The sarcasm on Cao Cao's face faded, and his gaze returned to the location of Xuchang on the map.

In his letter, Cao Chun stated that, to prevent Guan Yu from using a Wei strategy of besieging Zhao to rescue it, he had secretly deployed spies and scouts in the south to monitor the movements of Guan Yu's army when he sent Xu Huang to reinforce Luoyang in the north.

Once he discovers that the Chu army has made a large-scale troop movement, intending to ambush Xu Huang's troops or launch a counterattack on Xudu, he will immediately recall Xu Huang's 40,000 main force.

Such measures can be described as extremely prudent, ensuring that Xu Du is absolutely safe.

It was precisely because of Cao Chun's arrangement that he did not transfer troops from Chenliu to the south to reinforce Xudu or strengthen the defense of Luoyang.

After all, Liu Bei's 100,000 troops were right in front of him, and he was also short of troops.

Xudu is important, but Chenliu is just as important!
However, Cao Chong's reminder made Cao Cao more alert.

"Cang Shu is right. Although Zihe and the others' handling of the matter is foolproof, we cannot be careless. It is always better to be cautious."

"We must remember to avoid arrogance and impetuosity, and never underestimate our enemy..."

Cao Cao regained his composure and immediately shouted:

"Following Cang Shu's plan, allocate over 15,000 troops to reinforce defenses immediately—"

Before the word "defense" could be uttered, the Tiger Guard rushed in, saying that Cao Chun had delivered an urgent report.

Cao Cao assumed it was a routine message of reassurance and casually accepted it.

He slowly unfolded the scroll, and with just a glance, Cao Cao's expression suddenly changed drastically, and his cane fell from his hand.

"Father!"

The two brothers, Cao Pi and Cao Chong, rushed forward to help Cao Cao up.

Cheng Yu and the other officials all changed their expressions and tensed up immediately.

"Impossible, this is impossible-"

Cao Cao pushed aside his two sons, his hands trembling as he held the urgent report and examined it closely once more.

Chu general Zhao Yun laid an ambush at the Wei River, inflicting heavy losses on Xu Huang, who lost 30,000 men. Guan Yu's army has already marched north to attack Xuchang again. Your Majesty, please send troops to reinforce us immediately…

Every word was like a knife, piercing Cao Cao's heart.

"Boom!"

Cao Cao staggered and slumped back onto his throne, the urgent report slipping from his hand.

Cheng Yu and the other officials hurriedly stepped forward, picked up the urgent report, and eagerly gathered around to read it.

Gasps of shock, gasps of astonishment, gasps of disbelief…

The hall erupted in chaos, and the Wei ministers were thrown into turmoil.

"Zhao Yun is not in Chenliu, but has led 7,000 cavalry south to ambush our army in Xinzheng?"

"Could it be that Guan Yu's attack on Luoyang was just a feint, and his real intention was to lure out our main force from Xuchang?"

"Guan Yu knew that his troops would be monitored by our scouts and spies, so he cooperated with Liu Bei and ordered Zhao Yun to lead a light cavalry to secretly head south, thus avoiding our army's notice and ambushing Xu Gongming's troops?"

"This plan is truly real, truly..."

Cheng Yu's voice trembled as he looked up at Cao Cao with an incredulous gaze.

"boom!"

Cao Cao, his spirits returning to normal, slammed his fist heavily on the table, gritting his teeth and angrily saying:
"Is there even a need to guess? This must be the work of Xiao and that sorcerer!"

"I suspect that wicked man has already reached Guan Yu's army. This trick must be his doing!"

"Why didn't you all warn me that Liu Bei would send light cavalry south to cooperate with Guan Yu?!"

Cheng Yu was speechless when questioned, cold sweat poured down his forehead, and he looked ashamed.

"Thirty thousand soldiers, thirty thousand soldiers just vanished like that!"

"How hateful! How hateful~~"

Cao Cao pounded his fists on the table repeatedly, his grief and indignation mixed with a hint of frantic helplessness.

At this time.

Sima Yi, who had remained silent until now, sighed and cupped his hands in greeting:
"Your Majesty, things have come to this point, and our first priority is to take remedial action."

"I believe that we should quickly send elite troops south to reinforce Xuchang."

"As long as we have around 40,000 troops in Xudu, Guan Yu won't dare to besiege the city from all sides. Xudu won't be besieged, and we'll definitely be able to hold it!"

Cao Cao finally calmed down, and no longer bothered to curse and complain. He immediately ordered another 10,000 men to be sent south to reinforce Xuchang.

Give the order.

Suddenly, the thunderous sound of war drums erupted from outside the hall. Immediately afterward, a scout brought news:
After being silent for half a month, the 100,000-strong Chu army suddenly came out in full force, seemingly ready to launch a full-scale attack on Chenliu City and the surrounding camps.

The Chu army is attacking!

Cao Cao's expression changed, and he struggled to his feet, stumbling as he rushed out of the hall.

Sure enough, the sounds of horns and war drums resounded outside the city.

The scale of the event is so immense that one can imagine it even without seeing it in person.

"Big-eared thief, you've been holding back for over ten days, why are you suddenly launching a full-scale attack today?"

Cao Cao frowned deeply, filled with doubt and confusion.

Sima Yi followed closely behind, his eyes darting around a few times, and said urgently:

"Your Majesty, it must be that Liu Bei learned of the Battle of Xinzheng and launched a full-scale attack on Chenliu."

"His intention is to tie down our army, preventing the King from sending troops to reinforce Xuchang, thus buying time for Guan Yu!"

A single sentence was enough to enlighten me.

Cao Cao clenched his fists again, his face contorted with rage and fury.

Although the two armies were roughly equal in strength, the elite troops of the Chu army far surpassed those of the Wei army.

The fighting power of 100,000 Chu troops was equivalent to that of 150,000 Wei troops.

He only had 100,000 men at his disposal. If he transferred 25,000 troops south, he would only have 75,000 men left.

Can 70,000 soldiers withstand the all-out attack of 150,000 troops?

Cao Cao felt a little guilty.

If they cannot withstand the attack, Chenliu City will fall.

The importance of Chenliu far surpasses that of Xudu.

If Chenliu falls, Liu Bei can attack Luoyang to the west, advance north along the Yellow River, head south to Xuchang, and take Dingtao to the east…

Not to mention Xuchang and Yuzhou, the Wei army's defenses south of the Yellow River would crumble in an instant.

Chenliu cannot afford the slightest mistake!
If we want to prevent the fall of Chenliu, then not a single soldier should be spared to reinforce Xudu.

This means that Cao Chun had to use 20,000 troops to withstand the siege of Guan Yu's 70,000 to 80,000 infantry and cavalry.

It looks like things are going badly...

"Your Majesty, the situation has deteriorated to such an extent that Xuchang is definitely difficult to defend, and Yuzhou cannot be defended either."

"I believe we can no longer hesitate. We must quickly make a decisive move and order the General of Chariots and Cavalry to lead the army to abandon the city and retreat north to Chenliu."

"Even if we lose Xuchang and Yuzhou, at least we can preserve the remaining 20,000 troops on the southern front. Otherwise, it wouldn't just be a loss of territory, but a loss of both people and land!"

Jiang Ji sounded anxious and brought up the old matter again.

Cao Cao felt a chill run down his spine and fell into deep thought.

Jiang Ji's reasoning had reached such a point that he couldn't possibly fail to see it.

The hope of holding on to Xuchang, Yingchuan, and even Yuzhou has become extremely slim.

At that moment, he naturally had the idea of ​​giving up.

"Your Majesty, Xuchang is the imperial capital; we must not abandon it!"

"Xudu still has 20,000 elite troops, high and thick city walls, and ample food supplies. How can we give it up so easily?"

"I believe that Xuchang can be held for at least six months and we must not give up now."

"The attack of the big-eared bandit cannot last long. As long as we wait until the Chu army's offensive weakens, it will not be too late to send troops south to reinforce Xudu."

"Yes, Your Majesty, we can then launch a pincer attack from both inside and outside, and decisively defeat Guan Yu's army..."

Gao Rou, Du Xi, and other people from Yingchuan and Yuzhou immediately erupted in protest, offering their opinions to refute Jiang Ji and oppose abandoning Xudu.

Cao Cao felt the pressure once again.

Pressure came from scholars in Yingchuan and from scholars in Henan.

In the past, these people's opinions could only serve as a reference for him; the decision-making power was still in his own hands.

But things are different now.

The Nine-Rank System delegated the power of selecting officials to powerful and influential families.

The implementation of the private army system also gave these aristocratic families some military power.

Of the 100,000 Wei troops in Chenliu alone, at least 30,000 to 40,000 belonged to powerful clans and gentry.

Given this situation, how could he ignore the attitude of Gao Rou, Du Xi, and other scholars from Yingchuan?

Cao Cao hesitated, glancing at Cheng Yu and Sima Yi.

Cheng Yu remained silent, as did Sima Yi.

Jia Xu, a man from Xiliang, closed his eyes to rest and did not participate in the dispute between the people of Yingchuan and Jiang Ji.

As for Cao Cao himself, he was also reluctant to make sacrifices and still harbored a glimmer of hope that he could hold onto Xuchang and even Yuzhou.

After weighing the options for a while...

Cao Cao took a deep breath and waved his hand, saying:

"Alright, you need not say any more. I know what I'm doing."

"Immediately send orders to Cao Chun and the others, instructing them to defend Xuchang to the death at all costs."

"Having repelled the Big Ear Bandit's offensive this time, I will surely send troops south to reinforce him within a month."

Gao Rou and the others breathed a sigh of relief and praised Cao Cao's wisdom and martial prowess, with all sorts of flattery pouring in.

Seeing this, Jiang Ji could only silently shut his mouth, shake his head and sigh.

Listening to the flattery from Gao Rou and other scholars, Cao Cao remained expressionless, but felt a wave of nausea in his heart.

"Just you wait. After I've dealt with that big-eared scoundrel and brought peace to the land, I will settle accounts with you aristocratic families!"

Cao Cao clenched his fist silently, making a vow in his heart.

(End of this chapter)