Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 201 I, Cao Cao, will personally take action.
Cao Cao glanced at Jian Yong without showing any emotion, thinking to himself, "Isn't Xuzhou mine? Why should I help Liu Bei take it back?"

Cao Cao remained calm on the surface, but his mind raced, and he quickly came up with a plan: "I might as well pretend to agree to send troops, and then use the emperor's edict to keep Liu Bei in Xuchang. In this way, he will be like a caged bird, and it will be difficult for him to escape from my grasp!"

Cao Cao also knew that directly killing Liu Bei was not a good option.

Regardless of whether Liu Bei was truly a member of the Han imperial family, given his status as an official orthodoxly appointed by the court and the fact that he was the only local official to respond to the call to punish the false emperor Yuan Shu, Cao Cao could not kill him.

If Cao Cao were to actually kill Liu Bei and then seize Xuzhou, it would inevitably arouse criticism from the people and shake the foundation of his power to "hold the emperor hostage to command the princes".

After weighing the pros and cons, Cao Cao finally spoke: "Go back and tell Xuande that I will ask the emperor to issue an edict to attack Lü Bu. When the time is right, I will personally lead a large army to help him take back Xuzhou."

Jian Yong was overjoyed; a huge weight had finally been lifted from his heart.

After letting out a long sigh, he stood up and bowed deeply to Cao Cao, saying, "My lord Yongdai and the people of Xuzhou thank you, Minister Cao!"

Cao Cao nodded and said, "Quickly return to Xiaopei and inform Xuande that the imperial army will arrive soon. Tell him to hold on for a few more days, and the imperial court will surely seek justice for him!"

"Thank you, Minister! Thank you, Your Majesty!" Jian Yong thanked Cao Cao repeatedly before taking his leave of Minister Cao Cao's residence and departing from Xuchang.

However, Cao Cao already considered Xuzhou as his own, so why would he really help Liu Bei take it back?
Shortly after Jian Yong left, Xu Chu entered the study and reported, "My lord, General Hou has returned!"

"He's back so soon?" Cao Cao was somewhat surprised, then smiled and said, "I called him over; I have something to discuss with him."

"Here!"

Not long after, Cao Yan, dressed in a loose long gown, came to the study.

Cao Cao just pulled out a small jar of wine from behind his bookshelf, and said to Cao Yan, "It's been a long time since we brothers have drunk together. Let's drink until we're drunk tonight!"

Cao Yan waved his hand and said, "I have to see Kongming and Yuanzhi later, so it's not appropriate for me to drink."

"I see..." Old Cao poured himself a bowl of wine, then poured Cao Yan a cup of tea, and asked, "How are their studies progressing these days?"

“Sigh…” Cao Yan sighed deeply.

"What difficulties have you encountered? Why are you sighing?" Cao Cao asked with concern.

"Kongming has recently been studying Qimen Bagua with Mr. Shui Jing. He set up a stone army formation outside the city to test its effectiveness, but many people accidentally entered it, causing a lot of trouble for everyone."

"The Eight Stone Formation?" Cao Cao immediately became interested and asked, "What is the purpose of this formation?"

Cao Yan took a sip of tea to moisten his throat and then said, "The Stone Army Eight Formations are based on scattered stones and are arranged according to the images of heaven, earth, wind, clouds, dragons, tigers, birds, and snakes. They are divided into the Heaven Covering Formation, Earth Bearing Formation, Wind Rising Formation, Cloud Hanging Formation, Dragon Flying Formation, Tiger Wing Formation, Bird Soaring Formation, and Snake Coiling Formation."

Cao Cao listened intently, stroking his beard unconsciously, and asked, "It sounds a bit intimidating, what exactly is its purpose?"

Cao Yan stretched out his finger, dipped it in the wine in Lao Cao's bowl, and then drew on the table while saying, "If the enemy enters the formation, their vision and mind will be disturbed by these formations, making it difficult for them to discern directions, and they will be trapped in the formation."

Moreover, our side can hide troops within the formation and kill enemy soldiers without them noticing.

I only know the general outline; for details, you'll have to ask Kongming.

Cao Cao nodded repeatedly, his eyes full of admiration: "Kongming is truly a genius, able to set up such a formation at such a young age."

If our army can master this formation, it will be a great help in both future campaigns and defenses.

However, it is indeed a problem if ordinary people mistakenly wander into it.

Cao Yan replied, "Indeed. I have already written to Kongming, asking him to set up clear signs outside the formation to warn the people not to approach."

Cao Cao smiled with satisfaction, then changed the subject, saying, "Jian Yong came today, saying that Liu Bei earnestly requested my troops to help him reclaim Xuzhou. Xuzhou is now occupied by Lü Bu, and Liu Bei has lost his foundation, which is quite pitiful."

Upon hearing this, Cao Yan said with a solemn expression, "Brother, Liu Bei is a man of great ambition and is by no means someone who will remain subservient to others for long."

"Oh?" This was the first time Cao Cao had seen Cao Yan so serious. He asked, "Is this Liu Bei very powerful?"

Cao Yan stared into Cao Cao's eyes, and then slowly said, "Who among the heroes of the world can rival Cao Cao and Liu Bei?"

"!!!" Cao Cao was shocked. If anyone else had said that, Cao Cao would have laughed at them for being ungrateful.

But the person who said this was Cao Yan, a man whose ability to recognize and use people was almost monstrous!
His words were so serious that Lao Cao couldn't help but take them seriously.

Cao Yan continued, "Xuzhou is a strategically vital location that military strategists must contend for; it must not be easily handed over to Liu Bei. If Liu Bei gains a foothold, he will surely become a major threat in the future."

Cao Cao frowned slightly and asked, "Then, in your opinion, how should Liu Bei respond?"

Cao Yan's gaze was firm as he said, "Xuzhou should naturally be under the control of our army."

We can pretend to agree to help him reclaim Xuzhou to appease Liu Bei.

Once our army is fully prepared, we will take Xuzhou in one fell swoop.

At that time, Liu Bei can be placed in Xuchang, kept by the emperor's side under the guise of respect, but in reality, under surveillance, preventing him from causing further trouble.

Cao Cao secretly agreed, but remained outwardly calm, and asked, "If we directly send troops to attack Xuzhou, won't it cause controversy among the people? After all, Liu Bei is an official appointed by the court, and he has responded to the call to attack Yuan Shu."

Cao Yan sneered: "Brother, there's no need to worry. Xuzhou has now been occupied by Lü Bu, who is a fickle man who betrayed Liu Bei and is unpopular."

Our army, as a righteous force, is rightfully and justifiably attacking Lü Bu.

Moreover, our army controls the imperial court; the emperor's edicts are in our hands, and everything can be done according to our will.

Cao Cao laughed heartily and then said, "This time, I will personally lead the expedition against Xuzhou. You will be the vanguard, and let those shameful rats see the power of the two brothers!"

Cao Yan smiled and nodded, but in his heart he was thinking about how to deal with the possible "imperial edict in the belt" incident.

……

Having received Cao Cao's promise, Jian Yong returned to Xiaopei in high spirits.

At this time, Liu Bei was discussing with his civil and military officials how long they could hold out.

Upon hearing that Jian Yong had returned, Liu Bei immediately got up and went to the camp to greet him.

Jian Yong and two servants each rode a horse. The three of them looked travel-worn, tired, and haggard.

Upon seeing Liu Bei and the others waiting for him outside the camp gate, Jian Yong quickly dismounted, strode forward, bowed deeply, and said, "My lord! I have fortunately fulfilled my mission and have successfully persuaded Cao Cao to send troops to assist us in our campaign against Yuan Shu and Lü Bu!"

When Liu Bei suddenly heard that Cao Cao had agreed to send troops, he did not show any obvious joy on his face.

He strode up to Jian Yong, took Jian Yong's arm, and helped him up.

Looking at Jian Yong, who had clearly lost weight, Liu Bei said in a slightly heavy tone, "You must have had a hard journey, Xianhe!"

Jian Yong recalled the hardships they had endured on the journey, sleeping less than two hours a day, and his voice trembled slightly as he replied, "It wasn't hard work. As long as our lord can reclaim Xuzhou, it's all worth it!"

Liu Bei nodded slightly and said nothing more.

He personally helped Jian Yong into the central command tent, settled him down to sit beside him, and then asked, "When does Cao Cao plan to send out his troops?"

Jian Yong recalled for a moment and replied, "They should have already set out on my way back!"

"So fast? Doesn't Cao Cao need to prepare?" Guan Yu asked, puzzled.

"Reporting to the Second General, when I left Xuchang, I happened to see a group of troops about twenty miles outside the city," Jian Yong replied solemnly. "That army was well-equipped and had a magnificent appearance. There were tens of thousands of cavalry alone. It seems that Cao Cao had already made preparations to send troops!"

"Cao Cao isn't helping us at all; he's trying to take this opportunity to wipe us all out!" Zhang Fei shouted, his eyes wide.

Zhang Fei's words plunged the council hall into silence.

(End of this chapter)