Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 83 Cao Cao Wants to Flee, Liu Bei Uses a Tactic Against Him (Please Read Further and Vote)
Cao Cao returned to the Dianjun camp, feeling sullen.

Although he was appointed as the Commandant of the Army, Cao Cao felt like a failure.

A nobody from a remote border region, with no family background or social standing, now has the final say in the Western Garden Army.

"Benchu ​​was quite content, sending a retainer to command the army at Ping Le Guan, while he himself went off to Hanoi to enjoy himself."

Thinking of Yuan Shao, Cao Cao felt a surge of frustration again.

The core reason for this frustration is that Yuan Shao doesn't include Cao Cao in his games!
If Cao Cao hadn't flattered Chunyu Qiong with fine wine and praise, he wouldn't have known that Yuan Shao was plotting something big in Hanoi.

Cao Cao suddenly realized that although he had always sided with Yuan Shao and treated him like a brother, Yuan Shao didn't take him seriously at all when it came to actually planning something big.

A simp who licks boots will end up with nothing; this applies to both ancient and modern times.

"The Western Garden Army can no longer stay; they must find a way to escape." A ruthless glint flashed in Cao Cao's eyes.

As Cao Teng's grandson, Cao Cao was exposed to the cruelty of power struggles and political upheavals from a young age, and a slight misstep could bring disaster to his entire family.

However, getting out of there is not easy.

Yuan Shao had already left Ping Le Guan and could feign illness to avoid returning; Cao Cao was still in Ping Le Guan and couldn't feign illness even if he wanted to.

Just as Cao Cao was in a dilemma, a messenger reported that Zhang Fei, the military commander of the lower camp, had arrived.

"Have it!"

Cao Cao's narrow eyes flashed with surprise, and he went out of his tent to greet Zhang Fei.

Upon seeing Zhang Fei, Cao Cao greeted him warmly: "I have long heard that Commander Zhang has the bearing of a bear and tiger and the courage to defeat ten thousand men. Seeing him today, I can confirm that his reputation is well-deserved! From now on, I will trouble Commander Zhang to take care of the training of the General's Camp."

Zhang Fei glanced at Cao Cao with his large eyes, and subconsciously thought of Liu Bei's warning: Cao Cao is a master of lies. Nine out of ten of his words are unreliable. If Cao Cao praises you openly, he must have ulterior motives. You must act cautiously and not become complacent because of a few kind words.

Silently repeating Liu Bei's instructions, Zhang Fei returned the greeting in a boisterous manner: "Colonel Cao, you are too kind. I am a rough man, and I used to be a pig butcher. If I have been impolite, please forgive me."

Cao Cao laughed and said, "Zhang Sima is too modest. I have recently acquired several jars of fine wine, and I would like to drink with you, Zhang Sima."

Wine?

Zhang Fei subconsciously swallowed and hesitated, saying, "But we have training tomorrow. If we drink alcohol, it might cause problems."

Seeing that Zhang Fei was interested in the wine, Cao Cao naturally did not want to miss the opportunity and invited him, saying, "Sir Zhang, there is no need to worry. Just have a small sip. Consider today as a wine tasting. If you think the wine is good, you can drink it more when you have time."

After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Fei could not suppress his craving for alcohol. However, he also thought that a little drinking would not interfere with important matters, so he replied, "In that case, I will have a few drinks with Commandant Cao today."

After a few cups of fine wine, Zhang Fei's impression of Cao Cao improved somewhat, and he couldn't help but think to himself: This Cao Cao isn't as fake as my elder brother says. He really only poured me three cups when he said we should have a little drink, and even advised me to drink more in the future.

Taking advantage of Zhang Fei's drunken excitement, Cao Cao suddenly stood up and invited him: "I have practiced riding and archery since childhood, and I believe I have few rivals among my peers. There are many arrogant and unruly soldiers in the army camp. Tomorrow, Commander Zhang will be training the soldiers, and I fear some soldiers will be dissatisfied. Why don't I spar with Commander Zhang? It would be a good way to demonstrate our skills and also to intimidate the soldiers. What do you think, Commander Zhang?"

Zhang Fei, unsuspecting, also stood up and said, "Since Commandant Cao is in such high spirits, I shall gladly oblige."

After a while.

Cao Cao and Zhang Fei rode their horses to the drill ground, attracting a large crowd of soldiers from the military camp to watch. Seeing the long spear Cao Cao was wielding, Zhang Fei exclaimed excitedly, "Anyone who can wield a spear must be extraordinary! Colonel Cao, I won't hold back, you'd better watch out!"

Cao Cao laughed: "Since this is a friendly competition, there must be a winner and a loser. I, Cao Cao, also want to test Zhang Sima's skills."

As the neighing of warhorses rang out, Zhang Fei's serpent spear and Cao Cao's long spear clashed, the clanging sound reaching the ears of the soldiers watching the battle.

"This is the first time I've seen Commandant Cao use his martial skills. His horsemanship is indeed superb; I can't match it!"

"I've heard that Commander Zhang of the Lower Army is a man of unparalleled bravery, but I never expected that Colonel Cao would be on par with him. Colonel Cao is truly remarkable."

"This is truly spectacular! Ten rounds have passed and the match is still even. If I were to fight, I probably wouldn't last even a single round."

"."

The onlookers gasped in amazement, while Zhang Fei and Cao Cao, who were engaged in the battle, had different thoughts.

Zhang Fei thought to himself: "Besides his superb horsemanship, this Commandant Cao's martial arts and strength are far inferior to my elder brother's. My elder brother is still the best. I've already given Commandant Cao more than ten rounds, which is enough to give him face. I won't give him any more in the next round."

Cao Cao thought: "Strange, didn't Zhang Sima say he wouldn't hold back? Why is he still being so modest after more than ten rounds? If you don't defeat me, how am I supposed to escape? Don't give me any face, don't deliberately try to draw."

Just as Cao Cao was getting anxious, he suddenly felt Zhang Fei's spear suddenly increase in strength, almost causing Cao Cao to lose his grip on the spear.

Finally started!

Cao Cao was overjoyed. After barely managing to hold out for one round, he once again swung his spear at Zhang Fei.

This time, Cao Cao not only failed to hold onto the spear, but also fell off his horse!
"Commander Cao!?"

The generals on either side rushed forward to check on Cao Cao and saw that he had fallen and broken his forehead, and that half of his body was also injured to varying degrees.

Zhang Fei also quickly dismounted to check on Cao Cao's injuries.

Before Zhang Fei could speak, Cao Cao struggled to his feet and said, "It's just some superficial injury, nothing serious. I never thought that after riding horses for thirty years, I would fall off today. I apologize, Commander Zhang, I need to go back to camp and rest for a while."

Watching Cao Cao's departing figure, Zhang Fei raised his spear in confusion and muttered to himself, "This shouldn't be. With the strength I had just used, I could at most knock the spear away. Even if I accidentally fell off my horse, I shouldn't have fallen so badly."

Zhang Fei was also somewhat uneasy. It was unreasonable that he had injured Cao Cao so soon after entering the Dian Army camp. So he rode back to the camp to report to Liu Bei.

“Drinking, fighting, falling from a horse, getting injured—it seems Cao Cao understands what I want to do.” Liu Bei smiled, then said to Xu You beside him, “Ziyuan, since you have a past with Brother Mengde, why don’t you go to the Dianjun Camp for me? There are good doctors in Luoyang City. You can ask Brother Mengde to take leave to recuperate.”

Xu You cupped his hands and smiled, "Cao Mengde is a clever man. Since he has put on such a good show of falling off his horse and getting injured, he will certainly not let Commandant Liu down. I will be right back."

Upon hearing Liu Bei and Xu You's conversation, Zhang Fei immediately realized what was happening and roared angrily, "Good heavens! I ran back in a panic, mistakenly thinking that I had accidentally injured Cao Cao, and this bastard dared to lie to me! I'm going to stab Cao Cao!"

"Alright, Yide." Liu Bei stopped Zhang Fei, his eyes burning: "Since Cao Cao has taken the initiative to withdraw from the conflict, we should not create any more trouble. Taking control of the Eight Camps of Xiyuan as soon as possible is the most important thing."

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(End of this chapter)