Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 193: Having recruited Zhang Xiu, and incidentally acquiring Nanyang as well.
After comforting Zhang Xiu, Cao Cao went straight to the main seat and sat down.

The situation in Wancheng has been initially stabilized, but there are still many matters in Nanyang Prefecture that urgently need to be discussed.

Just then, Xun You and Cheng Yu arrived at the government office and were hurriedly entering the main hall.

After the two entered, they bowed in unison to Cao Cao and Cao Yan, and said:
"Greetings, my lord! Greetings, General!"

"Greetings, my lord! Greetings, General!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu, who were standing to the side, were stunned and couldn't help but look at Cao Yan, who was standing next to Cao Cao.

“They call him…General Hou???” Zhang Xiu was extremely surprised.

"This man is not Cao Cao's bodyguard, but his younger brother, Cao Yan, the General of the Rear of the Han Dynasty?!" Jia Xu's mind raced, and he suddenly seemed to grasp something. He thought to himself, "Cao Yan is both a scholar and a warrior, resourceful and wise, and holds the official position of General of the Rear of the Han Dynasty. Why would he disguise himself as Cao Cao's bodyguard to infiltrate Wancheng?"

Ms. Zou was kidnapped...

Hiding in the cellar...

Ambushed troops outside the city...

Most of the Xiliang army soldiers were routed and scattered...

Wancheng fell into Cao Cao's hands, and Zhang Xiu completely lost his foundation...

At this moment, each and every one of these events flashed through Jia Xu's mind and connected with the others!
In an instant, Jia Xu realized, "We've fallen into a trap!!!"

He thought to himself, "Cao Cao couldn't openly weaken Zhang Xiu's troops and seize Wancheng, so he devised this scheme to force Zhang Xiu to rebel and weaken his power. Such a vicious plan must have come from Cao Yan!"

Cao Yan seemed to sense something and his gaze also fell on Jia Xu.

He was still thinking about how to improve his relationship with Jia Xu, since Jia Xu's golden attribute was very tempting.

Jia Xu (courtesy name Wenhe)
Sex: Male
Hobbies: Reading, appreciating people's hearts

Favorability: 18%
Entry: Poisonous Strategist (Gold), Wise Self-Preservation (Purple), Insightful Observation (Purple), Counter-Countermeasures (Blue), Silence and Caution (Blue), Lack of Bottom Line (Gray)

【Poisonous Strategist Bewitches the Mind (Gold)】:
Passive: When two armies enter a state of combat, after Jia Xu successfully implements a strategy, there is a 35% chance that the generals on both sides will fall into a state of confusion.

If the enemy general is already in disarray, immediately order him to attack friendly forces.

If your general is already in a state of confusion, then remove all negative control effects from him.

Passive: Immune confusion, false alarms, and alienation.

Jia Xu felt uneasy when he noticed Cao Cao staring at him, but he had to pretend to be calm on the surface.

At this moment, Cao Cao invited everyone to take their seats.

Cao Yan sat in the first seat below Cao Cao, followed closely by Zhao Yun, and then Xun You and others took their seats in turn.

Cao Cao asked, "Marquis Xuanwei (Zhang Xiu) has already submitted, and Wancheng is under our control. I'm afraid Liu Biao of Jingzhou won't let this go so easily. Gentlemen, do you have any countermeasures?"

Xun You and Cheng Yu both turned their attention to Cao Yan.

The series of events in Wancheng gave Xun You and Cheng Yu a new understanding of Cao Yan's cunning and methods, and they admired and respected him even more.

Cao Yan nodded to the two of them, indicating that they would take care of the arrangements, which made Xun You and Cheng Yu very grateful.

Cao Yan is sure to make good arrangements, and given Cao Cao's trust in him, if he wants to steal credit, no one can beat him.

Cao Yan had already helped them overcome the most difficult hurdle, so the rest was practically free credit. How could they not be grateful?

Xun You was always a low-key person, so he gave Cheng Yu the opportunity to speak first.

Cheng Yu indeed needed an opportunity, so he stepped forward without hesitation and said, "My lord, in my opinion, you can send a general to lead troops south and seize the three important places of Rang County, Yuyang, and Xinye before Liu Biao can react."

These three locations form a strategic defensive position, making them easy to defend and difficult to attack. Our army can use Wancheng as a base and these three locations as a shield to completely control half of Nanyang's territory!
Once the foundation in Nanyang is solidified, we can gradually take over the rest of the land. Sooner or later, the entire territory of Nanyang will fall into our hands!

Xun You cupped his hands and said, "What Zhongde said is indeed a good strategy."

He then added, "Liu Biao felt guilty towards Zhang Xiu because of the stray arrow that accidentally killed General Zhang Ji during the Battle of Rangcheng. My lord, you can send General Zhang to pretend to ask for reinforcements, and then take the city in the process. Liu Biao will certainly not suspect anything."

Cao Cao nodded slightly, quite satisfied with their plan.

However, he still asked Cao Yan, who was sitting to his left, "Zi'an, what do you think?"

“This plan is feasible!” Cao Yan laughed. “Liu Jingsheng’s refusal to pay tribute is a perfect excuse to give him a warning.”

"Excellent!" Cao Cao nodded in approval upon hearing this.

……

Jingzhou, Xiangyang.

News of Cao Cao's attack on Wancheng reached Liu Biao, along with Zhang Xiu's initial plea for help.

Liu Biao dared not delay and immediately summoned the brothers Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang, as well as Cai Mao, to urgently discuss the matter of Wancheng.

"Zhang Xiu has sent someone to ask for help. Should we help him or not?" Liu Biao asked, looking at everyone with a worried expression.

“Offending Cao Cao for Zhang Xiu doesn’t seem worth it!” Cai Mao replied first.

“Although Zhang Xiu has temporarily submitted to Jingzhou, it is only for a place to stay. He may not be loyal to our lord. In my opinion, we should not save him…” Cai Mao and Kuai Yue both felt that they should not save Zhang Xiu and let him fend for himself.

After a long silence, Kuai Liang cupped his hands and said, "My lord has established himself in Jingxiang with the demeanor of a hero. Now, all the states are in chaos, and heroes are rising up everywhere. My lord should embrace talents from all sides with a broad mind."

Whether Zhang Xiu is loyal or not is another matter, but he is now nominally a vassal of his lord.

If they are in trouble and your lord does not come to their aid, who will dare to pledge allegiance to you in the future?

“Zirou is right.” Liu Biao stroked his long beard, pondered for a moment, and nodded, saying, “Those whom Heaven and Earth can accommodate will be followed by heroes from all over the world.”

Only with such magnanimity can I earn the respect and admiration of scholars from all states.

I should send a letter to Zhang Xiu, informing him that he will send troops from Xinye to assist in resisting Cao Cao.

In this way, we can both demonstrate our benevolence and righteousness and completely subdue Zhang Xiu—a win-win situation!

"Our lord is wise." Liu Biao's choice was also appropriate, and the three of them bowed in praise.

However, just three days later, Liu Biao received a series of bad news.

"Yuyang has fallen?"

"Rangxian has fallen?"

"Xinye has fallen?!"

Liu Biao found the news unbelievable.

The messenger, trembling with fear, reported: "Zhang Xiu first surrendered to Cao Cao, then rebelled again. Now he is pretending to ask for help, tricking people into opening the city gates of Yuyang and Rangxian."

"He then replaced the armor and flags of our garrison with those of his own troops, falsely claiming that Rangcheng had been attacked, thus tricking most of the garrison in Xinye into going to reinforce it. Instead, he took the opportunity to enter the city and seize Xinye!"

Cai Mao was somewhat bewildered and murmured, "Then, whose side does this embroidery belong to now?"

For a moment, everyone in the Xiangyang council hall looked at each other in bewilderment.

Zhang Xiu surrendered to Cao Cao, but then betrayed him. Cao Cao should not tolerate him.

But he then attacked Rang County, Yuyang, and Xinye, clearly breaking ties with Liu Biao as well.

"Could it be that Zhang Xiu intends to establish himself as independent?"

"But what makes him think he can remain unscathed between Cao Cao and his lord?!"

"My lord, your humble general Huang Zhong is willing to be the vanguard and slay this traitor Zhang Xiu!!"

(End of this chapter)