Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 105 The reason for taking Xuzhou is here

Zhuge Liang and his family also came to Pingyin with Cao Song and his party.

"Finally safe..." Zhuge Xuan had been tortured these past few days. He had never imagined that this journey would be full of dangers.

Zhuge Liang remained calm and said in a calm tone, "Uncle, don't worry. Cao Zhonglang actually has a plan in place."

Zhuge Xuan recalled what happened in the temple a few days ago.

At that time, the shouting and killing outside was deafening, but Zhuge Liang was not afraid at all. Instead, he ran to the temple courtyard and looked outside. It seemed that he had seen through Cao Yan's plan long ago and was fearless.

But danger is always around, and if there is any mistake, the lives of the whole family will be in danger.

Zhuge Xuan still warned: "Be careful in everything you do. Don't be careless and lose your life."

"Nephew, I will learn from you!" Zhuge Liang said with a bow.

Zhuge Mengxue heard Zhuge Liang's words and asked curiously, "Kong Ming, how can you be so sure that Master Cao has made preparations?"

Zhuge Liang smiled slightly upon hearing this and said, "Sister, I'm sure you've heard that Cao Zhonglang has an elite cavalry unit under his command, as well as two extremely brave and powerful generals, right?"

"Of course I have heard of it. The cavalry was called the Flying Dragon Cavalry, and the two fierce generals were Dian Wei and Zhao Yun." Zhuge Mengxue replied.

"Previously, Dian Wei had been guarding Cao Zhonglang personally," Zhuge Liang remarked. "But as we neared Hua County, Dian Wei went to protect Old Master Cao. Meanwhile, Cao Zhonglang has been replaced by a distinguished and heroic 'servant'. There's something fishy going on here, don't you see?"

Zhuge Mengxue and Zhuge Xuan suddenly understood.

Zhuge Xuan said, "No wonder I always felt something was wrong... That 'servant' must be Zhao Yun, Zhao Zilong!"

"That's right." Zhuge Liang continued his analysis, "Since Zhao Yun is here, the Flying Dragon Cavalry must be hiding nearby.

Except for a few cavalry units, it is probably difficult for any other cavalry in the world to fight against it head-on, let alone ordinary infantry.

Cao Zhonglang insisted that we enter the temple and stay with Old Master Cao for our safety."

"I see." Zhuge Mengxue nodded slightly and said with a smile, "My second brother is extremely intelligent. He will surely achieve great things under Master Cao's command in the future!"

"Huh? Shouldn't they be under Cao Yanzhou's command? Big sister, you have selfish motives!"

"Dare to tease your elder sister, are you itching to do it again?"

“Mercy! Eldest sister, mercy…!”

"Dad, what are you talking about?" Zhuge Jun asked in confusion with his eyes wide open.

"It's nothing. When we get to Juancheng, you'll have meat to eat." Zhuge Xuan touched Zhuge Jun's head lovingly.

"Great!"

As he was speaking, a servant from the Cao family suddenly came in and announced, "Mr. Zhuge, the old master invites you and several young masters to attend a dinner."

Zhuge Xuan lifted the carriage curtain and said with a kind smile, "Please tell the old man that we will be there soon."

……

Cao Cao's tent.

After hearing Cao Yan's detailed account of what had happened, Cao Cao, still in shock, patted his chest and said with lingering fear, "Thanks to Zi'an's careful consideration, otherwise my father would have been in great danger this time."

Guo Jia frowned in thought. He had already sensed that there seemed to be another person pushing the issue between Ying Shao and Yuan Shao. This person must be the mysterious individual who was secretly contacting the local nobles in Yanzhou. "But who is that person, and how could he have such extraordinary skills?"

Xi Zhicai was also wondering about the identity of that mysterious man.

When Cao Yan saw that Guo Jia was just one step away from success, he figured it out.

He decided to offer an assist, so he handed over the letter from Yuan Shao to Ying Shao. "Brother, this is a letter from Yuan Shao to Ying Shao, which was found in his residence. I heard that Chen Gong, a famous scholar from Yanzhou, once worked for you..."

Cao Cao took the letter, quickly read it, and then exclaimed in surprise, "Chen Gongtai? He actually went to serve under Yuan Shao?!"

"The famous scholar in Yanzhou, Chen Gong?!!" Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai were both stunned!
Afterwards, Cao Cao gave the letter to Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai.

As soon as they read the letter, everything became clear to them, and all the clues were connected in their minds in an instant!

"That's right!"

"it's him!!!"

"When Yuan Shu attacked Yanzhou, Zhang Miao also received a mysterious letter... It's very likely from Chen Gong!" "Finally, he's been caught! The man hiding behind the scenes, plotting to seize Yanzhou!"

At this moment, the system prompt sounded.

[Ding! The host provided Guo Jia with key information, which is considered a 1/3 violation. If the violation reaches three times, the entry replacement task will fail.]

But then, the system prompted,
[Ding! Congratulations to the host, Guo Jia has found the key clues and the mastermind behind the attempt to overthrow Yanzhou. The entry replacement quest "The Abyss of Intrigue" has achieved condition 1 and is successfully completed!]

"This isn't cheating if I'm using the rules properly..." Cao Yan laughed inwardly. "I've finally completed the first condition. The other one is waiting for Liu Bei to take control of Xuzhou."

Cao Yan quietly advanced his plan in secret.

Guo Jia's entry task is about to be completed.

But Xi Zhicai's favorability has remained at 74% and won't go any higher.

This made Cao Yan feel powerless, as if he had energy but nowhere to use it.

Lao Cao really didn't expect that the "bad relationship" he had in the past would bring him so much trouble.

He couldn't help but sigh, "Chen Gongtai is also a man of extraordinary talent, but unfortunately, we are not of the same kind."

Cao Yan comforted him, "Brother, don't be sad... Chen Gong represents the interests of the aristocratic family, and what he pursues is not as pure as Bian Rang's.

Lu Bu was expelled from Chang'an and wandered around, so Chen Gong naturally had to find a place for him to stay.

He was highly respected in Yanzhou, so this was the first place he thought of. He just didn't expect that we would be the first to reach Yanzhou.

When Lu Bu surrendered to Yuan Shu, it was probably Chen Gong who secretly helped Yuan Shu and made him more determined to send troops to attack Yanzhou.

Now that Lü Bu has defected to Yuan Shao, Chen Gong will naturally not miss the opportunity to sow discord and seize Yanzhou."

"Lu Bu and Yuan Shao have joined forces...this situation is difficult to deal with!" Cao Cao frowned.

"Those disobedient nobles in Yanzhou are always a nuisance. If Chen Gong can gather them together, it will save us the trouble of dealing with them one by one." Cao Yan said, "Don't worry, brother. We have the three secret spies watching us. We have every move of these people under our control."

Cao Cao couldn't help but warn: "Be sure to be careful and take precautions early."

"Here!"

After a moment of silence, Lao Cao suddenly asked, "So... when will we attack Xuzhou?"

"Of course the sooner the better!" Xi Zhicai said with a smile, "Zhang Kai robbed the caravan and 'killed' your second brother.

My Lord, you must spread your grief and indignation to the world and draw out the indignation of all people!"

"That's right! Cao De is my closest brother. We have an irreconcilable blood feud and I must seek justice!" Old Cao nodded repeatedly.

Guo Jia said, "It's probably not easy to take Xuzhou.

Tao Qian was personally appointed as the governor by the previous emperor. He was lenient and benevolent in his administration, and was well-liked by the people, enjoying an excellent reputation.

Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, and Gongsun Zan all coveted Xuzhou, but did not dare to act rashly for fear of incurring public anger.

Therefore, they will not let you succeed so easily, my lord."

Cao Yan said, "Xuzhou is located at the strategic point of the Central Plains, with the Yellow River to the north and Mount Tai to the south. If you take it, you can conquer the world. This is a heaven-sent opportunity, brother, you must not miss it."

Before Cao Cao could speak, Cao Yan continued, "Brother, just attack Xuzhou. Wen Ruo and I will guard Yanzhou. But there is one thing you must remember!"

"What's the matter?"

"Don't kill the people indiscriminately, but treat them well!"

"Wouldn't that be too deliberate?"

"This was all just a show, a glimpse into Yuan Shao and the others' vulnerability. We're not seeking merit this time, but rather avoiding mistakes," Cao Yan said. "Besides, Xuzhou's Tao Qian is a knowledgeable military officer and won't be easily defeated. If you treat the people of Xuzhou well now, it will make it easier for you to take Xuzhou again in the future."

Cao Cao's cheeks puffed up when he heard this, and he said unconvincedly, "Are you saying I can't take Xuzhou?"

Cao Yan smiled upon hearing this and said, "I'm afraid it won't be that easy to succeed."

Lao Cao snorted proudly and said, "I want to see how difficult it is to conquer Xuzhou!"

(End of this chapter)