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

Cao Cao felt a sudden chill, as if a cold wind had invaded him, and he fell into a long, suffocating silence.

Yang Fu's words struck Cao Cao's heart like a heavy hammer.

That's right, Yang Fu is absolutely right.

Previously, in order to boost the morale of the Wei army and to give his civil and military officials a shot in the arm, Cao Cao had confidently told them that Zhang Lu would definitely send troops to their aid.

He painted a rosy picture, claiming that there was still hope for the Wei Kingdom. He said that as long as everyone worked together and defended Chang'an to the death, they would surely be able to turn things around.

Inspired by Cao Cao's words, everyone in Chang'an, from ordinary soldiers to civil and military officials, mustered their spirits, gritted their teeth, and fought with all their might to defend Chang'an.

But reality is so cruel.

Now that Zhang Lu has been defeated and Han China has perished, the last hope of the Wei Kingdom has been shattered like a bubble.

The beliefs that once sustained everyone crumbled instantly and vanished into nothingness.

In such a desperate situation, how could one expect the Wei army to continue with the determination to fight to the death?

Without the will to fight to the death, how could they possibly withstand the fierce attack of over 200,000 Han troops?

"Your Majesty, I believe that Yang Yishan's words are reasonable."

Jia Xu also sighed at this moment and offered his advice:
"The wisest choice now is to abandon Chang'an and retreat the entire army to the west of Longshan. Even if we are left to linger on, it is better than being annihilated immediately."

This cunning strategist, at this moment, stopped deceiving himself and stopped painting a rosy picture of Cao Cao's comeback and recapture of Chang'an.

Instead, he bluntly stated that he was "clinging to life," clearly telling Cao Cao that his escape to Longxi was merely to prolong his life.

"Ah~~"

Cao Cao let out a long sigh, waved his hand weakly, and had already decided to agree to the advice of his ministers.

After all, when faced with life and death, it's better to live a miserable life than to die a good death; live as many days as you can.

Even if all this extra time is just waiting to die.

Just then, Xu Chu rushed in, clutching a secret letter tightly in his hand.

He personally handed over the secret letter, claiming it was a handwritten letter from Sima Yi's confidant.

The confidant even emphasized that the letter contained Sima Yi's brilliant strategy to turn the tide.

Cao Cao's expression hardened, and a glimmer of hope suddenly flashed in his previously gloomy and desperate eyes.

Although the dawn was faint, it brought him a glimmer of hope.

Jia Xu, Yang Fu, and others were also greatly surprised when they heard this news.

Sima Yi is not dead yet, so why is he still making a last-ditch effort?
"Your Majesty, the Han dynasty has perished. At this point, there is absolutely no way to reverse the situation."

Fearing that Sima Yi might come up with another "bad idea," Yang Fusheng earnestly advised Cao Cao before Cao Cao even received the secret letter:

"We must not blindly trust Sima Yi's words again. If His Majesty had not listened to his so-called brilliant plans time and time again, how could our Great Wei have fallen into such a predicament?"

"All the previous failures were because we trusted his schemes too much!"

Cao Cao's body trembled slightly, as if Yang Fu's words had struck a nerve.

While Yang Fu's words may have been exaggerated, they were not entirely untrue.

Since he began to heavily rely on Sima Yi, he has used countless so-called "ingenious schemes and strategies" of his.

Each time, he waited with great anticipation for Sima Yi's strategy to bring victory.

However, without exception, they were all defeated by Xiao He.

With each defeat, he paid a heavy price. Take, for example, his recent surprise attack on Tongguan, which he thought was a brilliant move that could turn the tide of the war.

Contrary to expectations, it not only failed to relieve the siege of Chang'an, but also caused Zhang Lu to be unjustly destroyed.

Given such a history, how can we easily trust Sima Yi again?
Cao Cao hesitated for a long time, his heart churning with turmoil and inner turmoil.

In the end, he slowly accepted the secret letter from Sima Yi presented by Xu Chu.

Yang Fu was so anxious that he stamped his feet and sighed inwardly.

He could tell that Cao Cao still harbored illusions and wishful thinking, and did not want to give up Chang'an so easily.

Sure enough, when Cao Cao read Sima Yi's secret letter, the light in his previously gloomy eyes gradually returned.

It was as if he had seen a glimmer of hope, a chance to turn the tide of the battle.

"You should all take a look at Sima Yi's strategy."

Cao Cao showed the letter to his ministers, and his emotions had calmed down.

Yang Fu and the others were filled with suspicion, so they immediately took the letter and read it carefully.

In his letter, Sima Yi stated that Yang Song had taken Zhang Lu hostage and sent someone to Liu Zhang to form an alliance and seek help.

Fearing the principle that "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold," Liu Zhang has already sent troops north to Yangping Pass to provide assistance.

Sima Yi claimed that the one who commanded the Han army to attack Yangping Pass was Liu Shan, a mere child.

As long as the Shu army and the remnants of the Hanzhong army join forces, they will have a chance to defend Yangping Pass, or even defeat Liu Shan.

If Hanzhong is recovered, it will pose a renewed threat to Guanzhong and relieve the siege of Chang'an.

Even if they cannot relieve the siege, they can still divide the Han army's forces and alleviate the pressure on Chang'an.

"Your Majesty, Liu Zhang and Zhang Lu have both won and lost battles. Even if he were willing to take action, how could he possibly defend Yangping Pass and recover Hanzhong?"

Yang Fu knelt on the ground again, his voice trembling with tears, his eyes filled with despair as he pleaded:

"Your Majesty, I implore you to abandon any illusions and stop believing in Sima Yi's so-called brilliant plans. We cannot repeat the same mistakes, and we cannot let the soldiers of Wei sacrifice themselves in vain!"

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty~~"

All the ministers knelt down and urged Cao Cao to recognize reality and not be fooled by Sima Yi's schemes again.

Cao Cao closed his eyes, his brows furrowed, and fell into a long silence.

My heart was like a turbulent sea, with all sorts of thoughts churning within me.

He was making a final weighing of the pros and cons.

Is it to abandon Chang'an and Guanzhong, retreat to Longxi, and become a fugitive ruler who can barely survive?
Should we trust Sima Yi one more time, gamble on the future of Wei, and fight with all our might?
Although Sima Yi had failed before, perhaps this time he can really turn the tide?
Although the hope is slim, what if it is?
After weighing his options for a long time, Cao Cao suddenly clenched his fist, and when he opened his eyes again, a ferocious look, like that of a gambler, blazed in them.

His ferocity revealed a sense of determination and madness, as if he had made his final decision and was determined to fight to the bitter end, no matter the outcome.

When Jia Xu, Yang Fu, and the others saw Cao Cao's expression, their hearts skipped a beat.

They were all too familiar with Cao Cao's expression.

That means their emperor has fallen into his gambling addiction again and is going to gamble everything on another big bet.

"Chang'an is the capital of the Great Wei Dynasty. I will never give up until the very last moment!"

Cao Cao's voice, like a resounding bell, echoed throughout the palace:

"My mind is made up. We will continue to defend Chang'an and will never retreat!" (End of Chapter)