Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 215 Should Pengcheng fight or surrender?

After Cao Cao's army defeated Ji Ling's army, their morale soared.

Riding the momentum of their great victory, they successively defeated the Yuan army forces of Chen Ji and Lei Bo.

The morale of Yuan's soldiers was thrown into chaos, and they fled in all directions. Xiaopei was thus easily occupied by Cao Cao.

The three Liu brothers were not even arranged to participate by Cao Yan. They watched in stunned silence as Cao's army, with more than 30,000 troops, defeated Ji Ling, Chen Ji, and Lei Bo's nearly 80,000 troops.

"It's not just the difference in equipment; the training of the soldiers, the command of the generals, and the bravery of the soldiers—Cao Cao's army is several levels above Yuan Shao's army!" Even the usually proud Guan Yu had to admit the strength of Cao Cao's army at this moment.

"The quality of an army is more important than its quantity; today I have truly witnessed that!" Liu Bei looked at Chen Dao and the Trapped Camp, who were slowly retreating not far away, and his heart ached again.

Zhang Fei looked at the battlefield with envy, muttering somewhat resentfully, "Why won't Cao Yan let us go on? Does he look down on the three of us brothers?"

Liu Bei explained on his behalf: "Cao Cao's army has undergone long-term training and coordination, and their lines of command are well-coordinated. If we rashly send our troops up, it may disrupt their deployment and operations, which would be counterproductive."

Guan Yu nodded in agreement: "Brother is absolutely right. Sometimes, the coordination between different armies is more important than the sheer number of troops."

"I wish we could train such a strong army someday... especially those cavalry, they're so dashing and elegant!" Zhang Fei said, his mouth practically watering.

After defeating Ji Ling's army, Cao Cao's forces successfully occupied Pei County.

After resting for a night, Cao Cao summoned everyone to discuss matters in the county government office.

Cao Cao sat in the main seat, his gaze sweeping over the many civil and military officials in the hall.

Cao Yan sat next to Cao Cao.

To Cao Cao's left sat a group of strategists including Xun You and Jia Xu, while to his right sat generals including Zhao Yun and Xiahou Lan.

But at the very end of the list of military generals, the three brothers Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were also prominently featured.

Cao Cao coughed lightly, breaking the silence in the hall, and said slowly, "Our army has defeated Ji Ling and captured Pei County."

At present, only Runan County remains in Yu Province, and it is still under Yuan Shu's control.

I believe that with Zhongde's assistance, Wenze will be able to successfully take Runan.

At this point, Cao Cao's face showed an extremely relaxed smile, and he said, "Next, should we attack Pengcheng in Xuzhou, or go south to attack Shouchun? Everyone may share their thoughts."

As soon as Cao Cao finished speaking, Cao Yan was the first to respond: "I recently received news that Lü Bu has inflicted a great defeat on Yuan Shu's tens of thousands of troops outside Xiapi."

At this moment, Yuan Shu has suffered heavy losses, and his army's morale is shattered. It is the perfect opportunity to seize Shouchun in one fell swoop!

When Liu Bei and his two brothers heard this news, they felt it was somewhat unbelievable.

Liu Bei couldn't help but ask, "How could Lü Bu, with fewer than ten thousand soldiers, defeat Yuan Shu's army of one hundred thousand?!"

Cao Yan patiently explained, "Lü Bu followed Chen Gui's advice and wrote letters to persuade Han Xian and Yang Feng to defect. These two turned against Yuan Shu and launched a surprise attack on the other armies of Yuan Shu. Lü Bu seized the opportunity to fight and defeated Yuan Shu's army by attacking from both sides."

"I see..." Liu Bei bowed and then sat back down.

However, when he heard that Lü Bu had followed Chen Gui's strategy and was able to defeat Yuan Shu's army of 100,000, he couldn't help but recall his previous behavior of distancing himself from Chen Gui and his son Chen Deng because he was afraid of the power of the Chen family, and he was immediately filled with regret.

He thought to himself, "The Chen family father and son are both top strategists, yet I distanced myself from them because of my suspicions... But Lü Bu was willing to give Chen Gui an important position and follow his plans. It's truly not unjust that I lost to Lü Bu!"

After Liu Bei withdrew, Xun You stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "My lord, in my opinion, Chen Deng, the Chancellor of Pengcheng, although talented, has limited military strength and cannot hold out for long."

Pengcheng is strategically important. If our army can capture Pengcheng first, we can march south and directly threaten Yuan Shu, and also pose a flank threat to Xiapi.

They can also cooperate with the soldiers of Mount Tai to capture Beihai and Langya County.

It would be better to take Pengcheng first, consolidate our foundation, and then plan to capture Xiapi.

As for Lü Bu, he is fickle and unpredictable. If we attack rashly, we risk forcing him to join forces with Yuan Shu in a desperate situation, which would only increase our casualties.

Cao Cao nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to Jia Xu and asked, "Wenhe, what do you think?"

Jia Xu's lips curled into a sinister smile as he said, "My lord, Xun Gongda is absolutely right. Taking Pengcheng first is the best course of action. Yuan Shu is arrogant and extravagant, and there are many internal conflicts within the family."

After our army captures Pengcheng, we can then move south and wipe out Yuan Shu's forces in one fell swoop.

As for Lü Bu, we can first send someone to sow discord between him and his generals. Once internal strife arises, we can then launch an attack, which will be much more effective. Jia Xu's strategy, as always, hits the nail on the head.

Cao Cao then looked at Cao Yan, who did not speak but simply nodded.

Seeing that the three strategists all agreed to take Pengcheng first and then attack Yuan Shu, Cao Cao had a pretty good idea of ​​what to do.

He looked at everyone and made arrangements, saying, "Let's follow Gongda and Wenhe's plan. First, take Pengcheng, then head south to annihilate Yuan Shu. As for Lü Bu in Xiapi, we can postpone that for now."

Zian, you will lead the Qingzhou troops, along with Zhao Yun and Xiahou Lan's Flying Dragon Cavalry, to set off first to capture Pengcheng.

If Chen Deng is willing to surrender, accept him; if he does not surrender, show him no mercy.

Cao Yan accepted the order and said, "Brother, rest assured, we will certainly live up to your expectations."

Then Cao Cao said to Xun You, "Send someone to inform Bao Xin, the Chancellor of Jibei, to lead his troops to defend Pei County."

I, along with Cao Zixiu and Liu Xuande's troops, will first head south to contain Yuan Shu's army.

Once Zi'an has captured Pengcheng, he should quickly join forces with our army to wipe out Yuan Shu in one fell swoop!

"Your subordinates obey!" Cao Ang and Liu Bei stepped forward, clasped their hands, and accepted the order.

……

A few days later, Zhao Yun and Xiahou Lan led the Flying Dragon Cavalry to Pengcheng.

Cao Yan wrote a letter and asked Zhao Yun to find a way to deliver it into the city.

Then came the scene that Chen Deng witnessed outside Pengcheng.

"The letter was sent in, but how did Chen Deng get the message out?" Xiahou Lan asked Cao Yan.

Cao Yan replied with a smile, "You just need to deliver the letter, and Chen Deng will naturally know what to do."

Cao Yan's answer surprised everyone; they hadn't expected him to have so much confidence in Chen Deng.

Meanwhile, Chen Deng in Pengcheng also began to implement his plan.

Before dawn that day, Yuan Shu's two armies once again besieged Pengcheng.

Contrary to his usual practice, Chen Deng ordered his soldiers to lower their flags and silence their drums, feigning weakness to the enemy.

He even sent someone to deliver his letter of surrender, indicating that he was willing to surrender to Yuan Shu.

After Li Feng and Yue Jiu took turns reading Chen Deng's letter of surrender, they couldn't help but look at each other in bewilderment.

"Tell me, how much of what Chen Deng said in his letter is true and how much is false?" Li Feng asked hesitantly, holding the letter of surrender.

“Cao’s army just arrived yesterday, and Chen Deng has already surrendered today. There must be a trap!” Yue replied.

“But Chen Deng said he deeply hates Cao Cao’s army and would rather offer Pengcheng to His Majesty than fall into the hands of Cao Cao. I think that’s somewhat credible,” Li Feng added.

“Cao Cao suppressed powerful families, so it’s understandable that Chen Deng was unwilling to associate with him,” Yue said, expressing his agreement.

“But Cao’s army had just come to harass us and even shot in a letter, and Chen Deng surrendered the next day… I always felt something was wrong…” Li Feng still felt something was amiss.

"It is a bit strange, it makes people feel uneasy." Le Jiu agreed.

Holding Chen Deng's letter of surrender, the two men were unsure how to respond.
It's also unclear whether there are other conspiracies hidden behind this letter.

(End of this chapter)