The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 256 Cao Cao launches a surprise attack on the camp, Zhang Liao captures the arrogant Yuan Tan alive (3rd update)
Langya is outside the country.

Yuan Tanzhi, having cornered Zang Ba inside Kaiyang City, sat smugly in the main seat of the tent.

Inside the main tent, Hua Yan was fawningly reporting the military intelligence brought back by his spies: "According to intelligence reports, Yuan Shang's attack on Yanzhou failed. He not only retreated back to Hebei, but also lost Liyang. He is now hiding in Yecheng and dares not leave the city!"

"Hahaha—" A loud laugh rang out, and Yuan Tan's lips curled into a mocking smile: "A mere lad who only managed to gain the general's favor by relying on his jealous wife's whispers in his ear dares to compete with me for military merit. When I conquered Qingzhou, that brat was still hiding in his jealous wife's arms, mumbling and acting like a woman."

Hua Yan flattered, "Once the general has captured Kaiyang and beheaded Zang Ba, he can return to Ye City and officially assume the position of Grand General."

There was a pause.

Hua Yan then changed the subject: "However, there is another piece of intelligence sent back by the spies that I cannot understand. There are rumors in Hebei that the Grand General wants to step down and hand over the position to the Left General, and the people of the counties are in a state of panic."

"Hehe!" Yuan Tan shook his head and laughed: "Hua Gongcao, you're making me laugh. How could the Grand General possibly abdicate in favor of the Left General? Besides, the Left General is in Hedong. Even if he were to abdicate, it would have to wait until the Left General returns to Ji Province. Someone must be spreading rumors on purpose. This person is malicious and intends to incite the Left General to compete with me. It must be that brat Yuan Shang from Ye City. If I'm not mistaken, the rumors are definitely spreading the most in Wei Commandery."

"Your Excellency is wise!" Hua Yan praised, bowing. "The rumors did indeed originate in Ye City, but the General has always been in Zhongshan. Even if rumors were to spread, they should have originated in Zhongshan. Yuan Shang's cleverness has backfired; he has failed to recognize Your Excellency's wisdom and insight!"

While Hua Yan was showering Hua Yan with flattery, Guo Tu and Xin Ping, who were also in the tent, quietly huddled together, both showing surprise on their faces.

"That's strange. If it really is just a rumor, it shouldn't be spread by Yuan Shang. Wouldn't that be creating chaos and increasing the Left General's reputation? Although I don't like Shen Pei and Feng Ji, they shouldn't be able to offer such a suggestion." Guo Tu murmured, his eyes full of doubt.

Xin Ping also whispered in doubt: "If it wasn't Yuan Shang spreading rumors, then who was it? If it was Cao Cao spreading rumors, no one would believe such absurd rumors, and the fact that the rumors could cause such panic among the people of the counties must also be due to Yuan Shang's instigation, which is very illogical."

Guo Tu pondered for a few moments, then suddenly had another guess: "Do you think it's possible that this isn't just a rumor, but that the Grand General really wants to step down and hand over the reins to the Left General?"

Xin Ping was stunned by Guo Tu's bold conjecture, but upon careful consideration, he felt that Guo Tu's conjecture had its rationality, and he boldly speculated: "If we follow this line of thought, if the Grand General really intends to step down and hand over the reins to the Left General, but the news has reached Yuan Shang's ears before the official decision is made, then Yuan Shang will certainly be unwilling, so he deliberately spreads rumors to fuel the flames. In this way, he can both provoke a struggle between Young Master Tan and the Left General, erase the fact that he is not as good as Young Master Tan in the southward struggle, and even take advantage of Young Master Tan's distance in Langya Kingdom to make the Grand General abdicate in his favor."

Guo Tu's eyes darkened: "If the guess is true, General Zuo is in danger! If General Zuo fights against Young Master Tan, Cao Cao will definitely reap the benefits, and in that case, the lives of the two of us will also be in danger!"

Just as Xin Ping was about to persuade Yuan Tan, he pulled Guo Tu back again: "With Hua Yan here, Young Master Tan may not listen to you. Besides, Young Master Tan only thinks that Yuan Shang is deliberately stirring things up. Let's wait and see."

Guo Tu then suppressed the words that were on his mind.

Although both Guo Tu and Xin Ping sided with Yuan Tan, Hua Yan had followed Yuan Tan for many years, while Guo Tu and Xin Ping were newcomers. In terms of influence and Yuan Tan's trust, Hua Yan was definitely no match for Yuan Tan.

now.

Neither Yuan Tanhuayan nor Guo Tuxinping realized the impending crisis.

Zang Ba lost passes and abandoned cities along the way, and Yin Li, Sun Guan, Sun Kang, and Wu Dun suffered successive defeats, which made Yuan Tan and others arrogant.

That night.

A troop of soldiers quietly arrived from behind Yuan Tan's camp.

It was Cao Cao who led five generals—Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Zhang Liao, Zhang He, and Gao Lan—to launch a surprise attack on Yuan Tan's rear under cover of darkness!

When it comes to swift and agile raids, Cao Cao considered himself second to none in his time, a reputation he earned through a series of surprise attacks. His most triumphant feat was the raid on Wuchao, where he led a light cavalry charge forty li (approximately 20 kilometers) before engaging his exhausted troops in a direct confrontation, ultimately defeating Chunyu Qiong's well-organized forces.

The elite troops and fierce generals selected from nearly a decade of campaigns in the east, west, south, and north were not ordinary troops that could withstand them. Cao Cao's ability to win against overwhelming odds at Guandu, confront his opponents head-on for several months, and even turn the tide of battle was also due to the elite troops and fierce generals under his command.

"Yuan Tan has become an arrogant soldier, even the defense of his camp is so lax. Remember not to let Yuan Tan escape!" Cao Cao stared coldly at Yuan Tan's poorly defended camp, a sneer creeping into his heart.

Cao Cao never took Yuan Shao's two sons seriously from the beginning.

If it weren't for the sudden rumor that Yuan Shao intended to step down and hand over the reins to Liu Bei, Cao Cao would not have personally gone to Yanzhou to oversee the war.

Back then, Tao Qian ceded Xuzhou, allowing Liu Bei to become the governor of Xuzhou in a flash, which greatly angered Cao Cao. Cao Cao attacked Xuzhou twice, crippling Tao Qian, but Liu Bei intercepted the territory halfway.

Hebei may seem powerful now, but in reality it is not much different from Xuzhou before Tao Qian died.

Yuan Shao lost his will to live, and his three sons and one nephew were not capable of shouldering the responsibility. If Cao Cao hadn't turned a blind eye at this time, Liu Bei could have replaced Yuan Shao.

If Liu Bei had actually gained control of Hebei, Cao Cao would have been furious.

Hebei today is not like Xuzhou of the past. There is no Yuan Shu, the Skeleton King who openly declares war on everyone, nor is there Lü Bu, the fickle and unethical man who secretly plots against us.

The only people Cao Cao could utilize were Yuan Shao's three sons and one nephew.

Although even if Yuan Tan and the others were all together, they might not be a match for Liu Bei, it would be better to win one over than to let Liu Bei defeat Yuan Shao's three sons and one nephew one by one and then gradually devour them.

With a wave of his command flag, Cao Cao coldly issued his order.

"kill!"

Upon receiving the military order, Zhang Liao took the lead, donning heavy armor and charging straight into Yuan Tan's camp.

The camp gate commander fought with Zhang Liao for a short while before being killed by Zhang Liao with a single blow, causing chaos throughout the camp.

Cao Cao then urged his rear guard to charge in, heading straight for Yuan Tan's central command tent. The sudden arrival of Cao Cao's troops completely caught Yuan Tan off guard.

Before he could even don his armor, Zhang Liao had already reached the entrance of the main tent.

"Yuan Tan, you little brat, do you know Zhang Wenyuan of Yanmen?"

Thanks to Cao Cao's deliberate propaganda, the story of Zhang Liao capturing Chunyu Qiong alive amidst a vast army became widely known in Hebei.

Upon hearing the name Zhang Liao, Yuan Tan turned and ran without a second thought.

However, it was too late. Zhang Liao pounced first, knocking Yuan Tan to the ground. His fist, as big as a sand bowl, slammed down and stopped right between Yuan Tan's noses: "Behave yourself! Sikong only ordered me to capture you alive! If you dare to resist, I'll have to beat you half to death."

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(End of this chapter)