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

Chapter 370 Cao Cao's Strategy for Dealing with the Ten Routes Reveals His True Cunning Nature (2 Updates)
With Zhong Yao at Hangu Pass, Ma Chao cannot enter Luoyang; Liu Biao is a guard dog, all bark and no bite, at most he can only seize Wancheng; Chen Deng has a grudge against Sun Quan, he will not dare to advance westward rashly; Yuan Shao's old troops in Runan are not a threat; Gongsun Kang has entered Donglai, he will definitely compete with Liu Bei for Qingzhou, yesterday's ally today's enemy, it is common for them.

In just a few words, Cao Cao clearly analyzed the current situation. Although it seemed like a ten-way encirclement, the only real threats to Cao Cao were Zhao Yun in the Shangdang direction, Guan Yu in the Changshan direction, Zhang Fei in the Zhongshan direction, Liu Bei in the Hejian direction, and Zhuge Liang in the Bohai direction.

As the most powerful overlord in the world today, Cao Cao's emotional control far surpassed that of ordinary people. Even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him, he would remain calm and composed.

Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials felt a sense of relief.

"I intend to make the following arrangements, and you gentlemen may consult with me on their behalf."

"An imperial edict appointed Ma Teng as Commandant of the Guards, Ma Teng's son Ma Xiu as Commandant of the Imperial Carriage, Ma Tie as Commandant of the Cavalry, and Ma Chao as General Who Subdues the Waves and Marquis of Duting, to oversee the army in Chang'an."

"An imperial edict appointed Liu Qi, son of Liu Biao, as Prefect of Nanyang and General of Valiant Might; and Liu Cong, second son of Liu Biao, as Governor of Qingzhou and Lieutenant General."

"An imperial edict appointed Sun Quan as Acting General of Chariots and Cavalry, and concurrently as Governor of Xu Province."

"An imperial edict appointed Gongsun Kang's younger brother, Gongsun Gong, as the governor of Yingzhou, and permitted him to divide the counties of Donglai into Yingzhou."

"An imperial edict appointed Man Chong as the governor of Runan and ordered him to quickly enter Runan to attack Yuan Shao's former troops."

"."

Although Cao Cao spoke quickly, his words were clear, and his plans amazed all the civil and military officials.

Whether it was the bestowal of titles upon Ma Teng and his son, or the appointments of Liu Biao's two sons, or the appointments to Sun Quan and Gongsun Gong, the seemingly generous imperial favors actually concealed a strategy of sowing discord and using others' strength against them.

Only towards the former Yuan clan forces in Runan did Cao Cao directly order Man Chong to send troops to suppress them.

The advantage of holding the emperor hostage to command the feudal lords was once again demonstrated at this moment. Cao Cao did not need a single soldier; he only needed to issue an edict through the emperor's hand to cause trouble for the five forces of Ma Chao, Liu Biao, Chen Deng, Gongsun Kang, and Chen Yu.

In particular, the appointment of Sun Quan directly added a righteous legitimacy to Sun Quan's northward journey to Xuzhou.

After resolving the minor issues, Cao Cao focused his attention on Liu Bei's five main forces.

"Although Zhang He has surrendered, Zhao Yun's supply of provisions will be put under greater pressure and will be difficult to sustain for long. We should order Xiahou Dun to send troops to the west of Wei to prevent Zhao Yun from advancing eastward."

"Order Yue Jin, Gao Lan, and Han Hao of Xiangguo to withdraw their troops back to Handan; order Cao Ren, Cao Hong, and Li Dian of Julu to withdraw their troops back to Feixiang, thirty li east of Handan; and order Xiahou Yuan, Xu Huang, and Lü Qian of Pingyuan to withdraw their troops back to Dongwuyang."

Cao Cao is tightening his battle lines.

Not only did they retreat their troops from Xiangguo and Julu to Handan and Feixiang in the north of Weijun, but they also abandoned the most remote plains and withdrew them back to Dongwuyang.

The reason for retreating to Dongwuyang instead of Yecheng was to prevent Zhuge Liang from sneaking into Cao Cao's Yanzhou territory via Cangtingjin.

The withdrawal of troops from Xiangguo and Julu was intended to create a pincer movement between Yecheng, Handan, and Feixiang, allowing them to support each other. It was also to concentrate superior forces and avoid being defeated one by one by Liu Bei.

If Liu Bei were to defeat any of these three forces, Cao Cao would have no choice but to flee in panic.

Finally, Cao Cao ordered Jia Xu to forcibly relocate the people of Wei Commandery to Yan Province.

Once this strategy was announced, everyone knew Cao Cao's intention: Cao Cao was preparing to abandon Hebei!

This was also Cao Cao's predicament. After the battle lines were stretched too far, Cao Cao not only had limited military strength, but his control was also far less than before.

Although Qing and Xu provinces were sparsely populated, and Cao Cao's loss of these two provinces would not fundamentally damage his position, the momentum he created made it seem as if Liu Bei was about to destroy him. This greatly angered Cao Cao.

It's just the loss of two broken provinces. As long as the foundation of Yan and Yu remains, the two provinces of Qing and Xu can be retaken at any time.

Cao Cao also understood that a swift victory over Liu Bei followed by a southern campaign against Liu Biao was no longer feasible; nor was the annual spring offensive aimed at harassing and undermining Liu Bei's foundations. The only way to minimize losses now was to forcibly relocate the people of Wei Commandery to Yan Province. This would provide both a large population and substantial financial resources.

Jia Xu sighed inwardly and accepted the military order.

Cao Cao did not allow Dong Zhao, the acting governor of Ji Province, to carry out the relocation, nor did he allow Xun You to do so. Instead, he chose Jia Xu to carry it out, knowing that forcibly relocating the people was a sinister plan.

Dong Zhao and Xun You came from prominent families in the Central Plains and still needed to save face.

Originally, the most suitable person to handle this matter should have been Cheng Yu, but now that Cheng Yu is dead, the task naturally falls to Jia Xu.

In order to ensure the smooth completion of the relocation plan, Cao Cao personally led his troops to Feixiang to confront Liu Bei and invite him to speak.

Outside Feixiang City, the two armies faced off.

Cao Cao rode his horse and stood in front of the army, while Liu Bei responded from the front lines.

"Given the current situation, I cannot defeat Xuande, nor can Xuande defeat me. A prolonged battle would be pointless. Why don't we each withdraw our troops?" Cao Cao's words were full of cunning.

If Liu Bei truly backs down and withdraws his troops, he will have to return Qingzhou and Xuzhou to Cao Cao in the same way he obtained them from Cao Cao.

Although Zhuge Liang was not by his side, Liu Bei had Pang Tong, Xu Shu, and Tian Feng to advise him, so he naturally did not fall for Cao Cao's tricks.

Seeing that Cao Cao was still trying to deceive him with words, Liu Bei laughed loudly: "Brother Mengde is right. In that case, Brother Mengde, retreat your troops back to Xuchang, and I will retreat my troops back to Yecheng. From now on, we will support the Han Dynasty and assist the emperor. We will surely be remembered in history."

That big-eared scoundrel!

Cao Cao cursed inwardly, "If you want to retreat, retreat back to Zhuo County. Why are you still thinking about my Ye City?"
Seeing that his attempt to deceive him had failed, Cao Cao's tone turned cold: "Xuande prides himself on being a loyal subject of the Han Dynasty, yet he recklessly killed the governor of Qingzhou appointed by the emperor, which is disloyal. Back in Xuchang, I treated Xuande like an honored guest, yet Xuande repeatedly betrayed me, which is unjust. With such disloyalty and unjustness, how can you have the face to talk about supporting the Han Dynasty and assisting the emperor?"

Seeing Cao Cao's change of attitude, Liu Bei also retorted without hesitation: "Brother Mengde, stop distorting the truth! Cheng Yu, as the governor of Qingzhou, disregarded the people and caused chaos among them. My generals were enraged and killed him, which was to rid the people of a scourge. I will present this to the Emperor one day and ask him to punish him. How can you say I am disloyal? I am ordered to punish the traitor. How can I disregard the affairs of the state because of our past friendship? Since ancient times, loyalty and righteousness have been difficult to reconcile. In order to restore the Han Dynasty, I can only temporarily ask Brother Mengde to make this difficult!"

The two argued fiercely, sometimes mocking, sometimes shouting, sometimes reasoning, sometimes appealing to each other's emotions, neither willing to give in.

They chatted for half an hour before finally coming to an end.

Cao Cao raised his whip and pointed again: "Xuande, there's plenty of time ahead. Don't be too smug. I will capture you alive!"

Liu Bei, not to be outdone, retorted: "If you have the guts, you can fight me to the death! If you don't, you can lay down your weapons and surrender!"

Cao Cao was furious upon hearing this: "Why would I be afraid of you?"

They drew their swords and fought each other after a disagreement.

Cao Cao ordered Cao Ren, Cao Hong, and Li Dian to fight, while Liu Bei ordered Zhang Fei, Chen Dao, Yang Qun, Ding Li, Liu Wu, Yan Shuo, Lu Zhen, and Gongsun Jie to fight.

After fighting for half a day, neither side could gain the upper hand.

(End of this chapter)