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

Wei Camp.

Cao Cao, his face covered in blood, hurriedly entered the camp, surrounded by Xu Chu and other Tiger Guards.

The Wei soldiers around Cao Cao were all shocked and murmured amongst themselves upon seeing his appearance.

"Quickly call the medical officer, call the medical officer~~"

Xu Chu dismounted, picked up Cao Cao, and rushed towards the king's tent while shouting.

Cheng Yu, Cao Ren, and other officials swarmed around them.

"Zhongkang, what happened? Why is the king in this state?"

Cao Ren helped Cao Cao up and asked in surprise.

Xu Chu glared at him and said irritably:

"Why didn't you stop that messenger? How could you let him go to the pass to deliver a message to the king?"

"His Majesty was being humiliated by that traitor Zhang Liao at the time. Upon hearing the news of the fall of Luoyang, he was overcome with anger and grief, which is why he vomited blood and fainted!"

Cao Ren and the others suddenly realized what was happening. They disregarded their own guilt and helped Cao Cao into the royal tent.

Upon hearing the news of the fall of Luoyang, the Wei soldiers on both sides immediately erupted in a clamor of alarm and discussion.

Inside the royal tent.

As soon as Xu Chu entered the tent, Cao Cao opened his tightly closed eyes and patted Xu Chu's head.

Xu Chu understood and carefully put Cao Cao down, while Cheng Yu handed him the cane.

The panicked expressions on everyone's faces vanished instantly.

"Your Majesty, your acting was so convincing just now that I thought you had really vomited blood. I was on tenterhooks."

Xu Chu scratched the back of his head, grinning sheepishly with lingering fear.

Cao Cao tossed a small bottle onto the table and smiled at Sima Yi:
"If it weren't for Zhongda's plan, how could I have coughed up this mouthful of blood in anger, and how could I have deceived that traitor Zhang Liao?"

This was Sima Yi's plan.

The bottle contained pre-prepared blood, which Cao Cao had already clutched in his hand.

Just now, a moment before the gate, he secretly poured the blood into his mouth while his back was to Zhang Liao, thus creating the illusion of spitting blood in anger.

Everyone laughed, and the atmosphere became relaxed for a moment.

Sima Yi remained calm and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, reminding him:

"Your Majesty, I am worried that Xiao He will lead his army to Hulao Pass before he can join Liu Bei. It would be too late if things drag on. We should quickly implement the plan of the Commandant of the Guards."

Cao Cao's smile vanished, and he waved his hand, saying:
“Zhongda’s words make sense. You should follow Zhongde’s plan and quickly spread the word that I have coughed up blood, fainted, and lost consciousness, and that the morale of our army is in chaos.”

"Tonight, once night falls, we will retreat ten miles to set up camp and wait for that traitor Zhang Liao to take the bait!"

The ministers gladly accepted the order.

Cao Cao, leaning on his cane, came to the tent flap, slightly lifted it, and looked towards Hulao Pass.

This was Cheng Yu's plan to lure the snake out of its hole.

First, invite Zhang Liao to meet at the pass, pretending to persuade him to surrender on the battlefield, but then send a messenger to report the devastating news of the fall of Luoyang in front of Zhang Liao.

In this way, he could put on a show of being so angry that he vomited blood and fainted right in front of Zhang Liao.

Then, after he was released into a coma, Cao Ren took over command of the army and had to order a ten-mile retreat, causing unrest among the Wei troops…

With Zhang Liao's military talent, how could he not see that this was a golden opportunity for him to launch a counterattack and utterly defeat the Wei army?

If they can defeat the main force of the Wei army, Liu Xiao's main force will then march east out of Hulao Pass, and they will be unstoppable and invincible...

When Liu Bei conquered Yanzhou, Zhang Liao, Feng Xi from Guanzhong, Xiang Chong, and other Chu generals were the most meritorious.

Such a huge temptation should be enough to lure Zhang Liao out.

Then they could set up an ambush and wait for Zhang Liao to fall into their trap.

Then, after defeating Zhang Liao's forces, we can pursue them westward and capture Hulao Pass in one fell swoop.

With Hulao Pass in his hands, he would have the means to stop Liu Bei's 200,000-strong army from advancing eastward!

"Zhang Liao, whether I still have the Mandate of Heaven depends on whether I can lure you out..."

...

Hulao Pass.

Zhang Liao, Feng Xi, and Xiang Chong stood at the pass, gazing towards the Wei camp.

"General Wen Yuan, that traitor Cao has vomited blood and fainted. The Wei army must be in chaos. Why don't we take advantage of the situation and launch a surprise attack on the Wei camp? We might just be able to defeat them!"

Xiang Chong turned his gaze to Zhang Liao, a hint of excitement in his voice and expression.

"If we can decisively defeat Cao Cao's main force before His Majesty and the Grand Commandant's main force arrive, wouldn't it be a piece of cake for His Majesty to march east out of Hulao Pass and sweep through Yan Province?"

"In that case, wouldn't the three of us be credited with the greatest contribution to Your Majesty's pacification of Yanzhou?"

Feng Xi was also eager to fight, and encouraged them with a face full of excitement.

Zhang Liao lightly tapped the battlement with his fist, his excited eyes mixed with a hint of hesitation.

In the Battle of Luoyang, the contributions of the three men were not insignificant, but they were not particularly great either.

His greatest achievement was undoubtedly the battle to capture Luoyang.

Unfortunately, they didn't get a share of the profits.

As Feng and Xiang said, the greatest achievement was defeating nearly 60,000 Wei troops and capturing Yanzhou…

Just thinking about it makes me incredibly excited.

"Cao Cao is known for his cunning. If our army rashly goes out to fight, I fear we may suffer some losses."

Zhang Liaoqiang suppressed his excitement and revealed the aspect of his concerns.

Xiang Chong smiled dismissively and said:
“General Wen Yuan, that Cao traitor is indeed cunning. If it’s just a rumor that he vomited blood and fainted, then there must be a trick. We certainly cannot pursue him rashly.”

“But yesterday, at the gate, we saw with our own eyes that Cao Cao was so enraged by the news of Luoyang’s fall that he vomited blood and fainted on the spot.”

"You and I are right next to each other, and we can see each other clearly."

"If that's the case, the morale of the Wei army must be greatly boosted. How can we miss such a golden opportunity to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop?"

Zhang Liao seemed lost in thought, the hesitation between his brows gradually fading. Just then...

Several scouts on horseback galloped back from outside the pass.

"Reporting to General Zhang, the Wei camp is deserted. We captured several wounded soldiers of the traitorous Wei and learned from their interrogation that Cao Cao vomited blood and fainted yesterday, causing chaos in the Wei army. Cao Ren ordered the camp to be abandoned overnight and retreated towards Xingyang."

On the city wall, everyone's spirits were greatly lifted.

Xiang Chong clenched his fists in excitement and exclaimed:

"General Zhang, the Wei army is indeed in disarray. Otherwise, how could Cao Ren have taken over command, and why would he have abandoned his camp and retreated eastward overnight?"

Feng Xi's eyes also gleamed, and he cupped his hands in greeting, saying:
"General Wenyuan, this is a golden opportunity. If that traitor Cao's entire army retreats back to Xingyang, we will miss a golden chance to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop."

"General Wen Yuan, order the troops to advance!"

The hesitation in Zhang Liao's eyes was gradually being replaced by a burning killing intent.

For a military general, vying for credit is instinctive.

Although the Wei army has 60,000 troops, their morale is in disarray, so what is there to fear?
Back then, in the Battle of Hefei, he dared to defeat Sun Quan's 100,000 Jiangdong troops with only 800 elite warriors. How could he be afraid today?

The only concern was whether taking the initiative to fight would violate military orders.

"General Wenyuan, I remember the Grand Commandant's order to us was only to capture and defend Hulao Pass, not to strictly forbid us from going into battle."

"From this perspective, our seizing the opportunity to march out of the pass and pursue Cao Cao is not considered disobeying the Grand Commandant's orders, is it?"

Feng Xi saw Zhang Liao's concerns and immediately offered words of comfort.

Zhang Liao's eyes narrowed, and he slammed his hand on the battlement, shouting boldly:

"In that case, how can we turn a blind eye to such a heaven-sent opportunity?"

"Issue my order: the entire army shall march out of the pass and pursue the Wei army!"

Feng Xixiang was greatly encouraged and readily accepted the order.

Zhang Liao immediately mobilized all 7,000 troops at Hulao Pass and marched out in a grand procession to pursue the retreating Wei army.

However, Zhang Liao was Zhang Liao after all; he was not a reckless man who only cared about gaining merit and disregarded everything else.

Before leading his army out of the pass, he specially wrote a military report and sent a messenger on horseback to Luoyang to inform Xiao He.

A lone rider galloped off, heading west along the main road towards Luoyang.

The messenger had traveled less than thirty li from Hulao Pass when he saw a large army marching eastward along the official road.

In the midst of the army.

Xiao He rode his horse at a leisurely pace, appreciating the scenery along the way.

"My lord, I don't quite understand."

"Didn't we agree that we would wait for His Majesty to lead his army to Luoyang to meet up, and then we would march east together towards Hulao Pass?"

"Why has my husband changed his mind now, and is rushing off to Hulao Pass without waiting for the King's main force to join forces?"

His wife, Guan Yinping, couldn't help but ask.

Xiao He withdrew his gaze from the surrounding scenery and looked towards Hulao Pass:

"If Cao Cao knew that Luoyang had fallen, he would stop at nothing to take Hulao Pass. Only in this way would he have a chance to stop our army from advancing eastward into Yanzhou."

"Otherwise, once my 200,000 troops leave Hulao Pass, the east is a vast plain. How could Cao Cao possibly withstand them?"

Guan Yinping said "Oh," as if she understood.

After her bright eyes darted around a few times, she said again:
"But Zhang Wenyuan is such a talented general, and he has Xiang Chong and Feng Xi as his deputy generals. He guarded Hulao Pass for nearly half a month and he was safe and sound, wasn't he?"

"Back then, Sun Quan's army of 100,000 attacked Hefei, but he was still repelled. How could Cao Cao's army of only 60,000 possibly do anything to him now?"

Guan Yinping was quite certain of Zhang Liao's strength.

After all, his illustrious achievements, such as beheading Tadun in the north and defeating Sun Quan at Hefei, are undeniable.

After surrendering to the State of Chu, Zhang Liao repeatedly made great contributions.

His father, Guan Yu, always spoke highly of Zhang Liao.

Under these circumstances, Guan Yinping naturally had no doubt about Zhang Liao's strength.

“Sun Quan, that rat, isn’t even worthy of carrying Cao Cao’s shoes. Besides, Cao Cao has old foxes like Cheng Yu, Jia Xu, and Sima Yi under his command.”

"Wen Yuan is quite steady, but I'm afraid that Feng Xi and Xiang Chong, these two younger generation, are too eager to make a name for themselves and may influence Wen Yuan's judgment, leading him to take some risky actions."

"It would be more prudent for me to go to Hulao Pass to take charge of the overall situation as soon as possible."

Xiao He expressed his concerns.

Guan Yinping seemed to understand, but not quite.

Just as they were about to ask again, a messenger arrived on horseback.

"Reporting to the Grand Commandant, yesterday Cao Cao invited our General Zhang to meet at the pass, attempting to persuade him to surrender. However, upon hearing the devastating news of the fall of Luoyang, he was so enraged that he vomited blood and fainted on the spot."

"The Wei army is now in a state of chaos, and Cao Ren has led the army to retreat eastward to Xingyang overnight."

"General Zhang and Generals Xiang and Feng discussed the matter and decided to seize the opportunity to lead their troops out of the pass to pursue and attack the Wei army, and defeat their main force in one fell swoop. They specially ordered me to report to the Grand Commandant."

The messenger knelt on one knee and presented Zhang Liao's handwritten letter.

Guan Yinping's expression changed, and she took the letter from Dai Xiao and quickly unfolded Zhang Liao's handwriting.

"My lord, just as you predicted, Zhang Wenyuan and his men have indeed led their troops out of the pass."

"However, Cao Cao vomited blood and fainted, causing chaos in the Wei army. This is a golden opportunity for them to defeat the enemy."

Guan Yinping was overjoyed and quickly presented the handwritten letter.

Xiao He, however, saw through it but didn't look, only giving a cold smile:
"Cao Cao didn't vomit blood earlier or later, but he vomited blood precisely when he was trying to persuade Wen Yuan to surrender. It was obviously just an act."

"In the end, Wen Yuan couldn't resist the instigation of those two hotheads, Xiang and Feng, and was lured out by Cao Cao. It would be strange if he didn't plunge headfirst into the sack that Cao Cao had set up for him!"

Guan Yinping's expression changed drastically, her smile abruptly replaced by shock.

Xiao He offered no further explanation, and with a flick of his whip:
"Order the entire army to abandon all baggage and march immediately with light equipment, and catch up with Zhang Liao's troops before tonight."

"If we're too late, our King of Chu will lose a general worthy of being enshrined in the Temple of Martial Arts!" (End of Chapter)