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

"Wenhe, what do you think of Sima Yi's plan?"

Cao Cao sat upright in the main hall, his gaze slowly turning to Jia Xu.

Faced with such a momentous decision, Cao Cao was truly at a loss, his mind a jumble of thoughts.

Or perhaps, he knew what the consequences of this decision would be and needed someone who could take responsibility and shoulder the blame for him.

His gaze then fell upon the poison master.

"Your Majesty, this..."

Jia Xu looked troubled, his brows furrowed, his face full of confusion, and for a moment he didn't know how to respond to Cao Cao's sudden question.

He knew very well that Cao Cao had always acted boldly and loved taking risks.

It can be seen from Cao Cao's many past decisions that he often had a special preference for this kind of risky strategy.

In this instance, Cao Cao was actually inclined to adopt the strategy proposed by Sima Yi.

Let's take another gamble!
Jia Xu knew in his heart that if they abandoned Chang'an and retreated west of Longshan, they would be like a candle flickering in the wind, merely prolonging their lives.

On the surface, borrowing Zhang Lu's troops to launch a surprise attack on the Ziwu Valley seems to be the only strategy that could potentially turn the tide.

But problems followed one after another.

The enemy they faced this time was not that young Liu Shan.

Their real adversary was Xiao He.

Who can guarantee that Sima Yi's plan will be able to deceive Xiao He's sharp, eagle-like eyes?

What if this plan fails?

The consequences would be unimaginable.

The State of Wei was very likely to be destroyed!

Then, who will bear this responsibility?
Perhaps, by then, he won't even have the chance to take the blame.

Once defeated, the state of Wei is finished, and his life and future will be over as well.

Thinking of this, Jia Xu couldn't help but feel a chill rise up his spine.

"Your Majesty, I am in a state of great confusion and my thoughts are in disarray. I truly do not know how to make a choice."

At this critical moment, after much deliberation, Jia Xu could only respond to Cao Cao with such ambiguous words.

No, actually, this time it wasn't that he was deliberately trying to smooth things over, but rather that deep down he genuinely didn't know how to make a decision.

Upon hearing Jia Xu's reply, Cao Cao frowned deeply, as if two mountains were pressing down on his forehead, and a clear look of disappointment flashed across his eyes.

He originally thought that Jia Xu could understand his thoughts and step forward to take the blame for him.

Unexpectedly, he only received such a vague answer from Jia Xu.

"His Majesty……"

"Father..."

At that moment, Yang Fu and Cao Pi spoke up almost simultaneously.

Their eyes revealed their urgency, as they intended to persuade Cao Cao again.

"Shut up!"

Cao Cao waved his hand without hesitation, his face instantly turning gloomy, and he sternly interrupted the two men's conversation.

Cao Cao was already fully aware of the intentions of those two men.

He, however, believed that he was already fully aware of the advantages, disadvantages, and risks of this matter.

What he needs most right now is not others' persuasion or hesitation, but to make a firm decision and act decisively.

Yang Fu and Cao Pi were so frightened by Cao Cao's stern shout that they were speechless. They opened their mouths but dared not utter another sound.

Seeing this, the ministers dared not utter a sound.

The entire hall fell into a deathly silence. Cao Cao slowly stood up, leaning on his cane. His body trembled slightly, and he walked unsteadily around the hall.

The hall was eerily quiet, as if time itself had frozen, with only the soft tapping of Cao Cao's cane on the ground remaining.

I do not know how long it has been.

Cao Cao suddenly stopped in his tracks, straightened his body, and turned to look at his ministers.

At this moment, only a resolute look remained in his eyes.

"Retreating to Longxi is a dead end, and holding Chang'an is also a dead end."

"Since I'm going to die anyway, why don't I take a gamble?"

Cao Cao waved his hand and said sternly:

"My mind is made up. Today, I will stake the survival of my Great Wei and trust Sima Yi one more time!"

Cao Cao's words were like a thunderclap, resounding throughout the hall.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, as if a huge weight had finally been lifted from their hearts.

Cao Cao finally made a decision.

According to Cao Cao's plan, the Wei Kingdom would hold Chang'an and wait for Zhang Lu's Hanzhong army to march out of the Ziwu Valley and launch a surprise attack on Tongguan.

This was a high-stakes gamble, placing the fate of the Wei Kingdom on this adventure.

Yang Fu had many things he wanted to say to Cao Cao, but he swallowed them back down.

He understood that once Cao Cao made up his mind, it was as if nine oxen could not pull him back.

At this point, any further persuasion would be futile.

If he could persuade Cao Cao, he would have succeeded long ago when Puban and Weishui fell.

Thinking of this, Yang Fu could only shake his head and sigh helplessly, silently accepting Cao Cao's decision.

He had no choice but to trust Cao Cao's judgment.

Cao Pi, relieved, beamed with joy and quickly offered his compliments:
"Father is wise; only Father has the courage to employ Sima..."

"you shut up!"

Cao Cao interrupted Cao Pi without hesitation, his face showing obvious disgust:
“I don’t need your flattery. I know in my heart that Sima Yi’s plan was not a matter of enduring humiliation to save my Great Wei.”

"All he did was to save himself."

Cao Cao turned hostile again, directly exposing Sima Yi's true intentions.

Although Sima Yi defected to Zhang Lu, he knew in his heart that after the fall of Wei, Zhang Lu would inevitably be the next target.

You, Sima Yi, may escape for a while, but can you escape forever?
Once Zhang Lu is defeated, Sima Yi will still be doomed.

Therefore, in order to save his own life, Sima Yi had to persuade Zhang Lu to send his troops out of the Ziwu Valley to save his Wei Kingdom from peril.

This was merely a desperate measure taken by Sima Yi for his own selfish interests.

Cao Pi was thoroughly humiliated by Cao Cao, his face turning red and white in turns, extremely embarrassed.

He had no choice but to shut his mouth in embarrassment, no longer daring to flatter.

After scolding his son, Cao Cao slowly swept his gaze across his ministers, and a long-lost confidence gradually returned to his face.

That confident radiance seemed to dispel the gloom in the hall.

Taking a deep breath, Cao Cao said sternly:

"By imperial decree, all the grain and military supplies currently stored in all counties of our Great Wei shall be transferred to Chang'an!"

"No matter how far away or how difficult the transport is, you must overcome these obstacles for me and ensure that the grain and military supplies arrive on time."

"All capable soldiers, whether local militia or county troops, whether cavalry or infantry, shall be transferred to Chang'an. Anyone who dares to disobey shall be executed!"

"At this critical moment of life and death, I will gather the last strength of my Great Wei and fight to the death against that dog-like son of the Big-Eared Traitor in Chang'an!" (End of Chapter)