My Three Kingdoms is not right

The gates of Wuyin City opened before dawn.

After entering the city, Cao Cao did not rest, but stood on the steps in front of the county temple, watching the groups of scattered soldiers being gathered and entering the city.

Although Zhang Xiu's night raid was fierce, the limited visibility resulted in limited casualties.

By noon, more than half of the scattered vanguard and central army troops had been regrouped. Generals such as Xiahou Dun and Yue Jin also gradually joined forces with their remaining troops.

Facing the generals who came to apologize, Cao Cao's expression had returned to its usual composure:

"Today's defeat was due to my carelessness. It has nothing to do with you."

"Quickly gather the wounded and assess the losses. Today's humiliation will be avenged tomorrow."

"Yes, sir!" the generals roared in response.

Liu Xun stood aside, watching Cao Cao issue orders methodically, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He can swear and give orders, so it seems he's alright.

Just then, another general led his defeated soldiers into the city; it was none other than Xu Chu, the Commandant of the Central Army.

Upon seeing Cao Cao in the distance, Xu Chu immediately dismounted and cried out, "My lord!! I, Xu Chu, have arrived too late to rescue you; I deserve to die!"

"Zhongkang, rise." Cao Cao hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Have you seen Dian Wei?"

Xu Chu knelt on the ground, refusing to get up, his tiger-like eyes filled with tears: "Commander Dian died in battle at the gate."

Although Cao Cao had expected this, he still looked somber.

Xu Chu continued, "She led a dozen or so men from her troops, held the gate alone, and wielded her halberd to kill over a hundred men."

"...Later, all those around her died, and she was wounded dozens of times, but she still managed to kill the two thieves with her own two arms. Although the rebel army was numerous, they dared not approach."

"Ultimately, his injuries suffocated, and he bled to death, glaring and cursing. Zhang Xiu's army swarmed in and beheaded him..."

"...I later heard from defeated soldiers that they saw her headless body leaning against a halberd, still unwilling to fall."

Her fists clenched so tightly they cracked as she said this.

Cao Cao listened to her finish speaking in silence, but his expression grew increasingly calm.

After a long silence, he slowly spoke:

"Dian Wei's death was due to my fault."

"The defeat in this battle is irreversible. All units should gather the defeated troops and prepare for retreat."

The generals accepted the order and departed.

Liu Xun stood beside Cao Cao and saw her bite her lip as she turned around, her face already covered in tears.

-----------------

The night in Wancheng became a wound in Cao Cao's heart that was difficult to heal.

Although the main force of the army was still intact after gathering the defeated troops at Wuyin, and Zhang Xiu dared not pursue further due to the overwhelming strength of Cao Cao's army, the cost of this battle was far heavier than it appeared on paper.

With more than half of the elite troops in the central army lost and Dian Wei killed at the gate, the Cao army's winning streak since the Battle of Puyang was broken.

Upon returning to Xuchang, Cao Cao personally held a funeral for Dian Wei. On the day of the funeral, she wept before the coffin and sat alone until dawn.

After that, he locked himself in his study and claimed to be ill, refusing to attend court for three whole days.

This was unimaginable in the past.

Since welcoming the emperor, Cao Cao has never relaxed his control over the government and military affairs. He attends the court meetings every day, participates in the discussions at the Secretariat, and manages the affairs of the Minister of Works every day.

For the past three days, she has kept herself locked in the Sikong Mansion, only occasionally summoning Xun Yu, Guo Jia, and a few others to come in for discussions.

However, before any rumors could spread in Xudu, she stood in the court again, looking refreshed and energetic.

The sharp-tongued, domineering girl in red seemed to have healed her wounds overnight.

Her phoenix eyes swept around, warning enemies or potential enemies not to act rashly.

Regardless, Cao Cao's army was forced to halt its advance and enter a period of rest and reorganization.

The world never stops turning just because someone is lying low.

The most troublesome one was naturally the "false emperor" Yuan Shu.

After her "Zhong Clan" court opened in Shouchun, it was very powerful and launched a vigorous expansion campaign.

First, he joined forces with Yang Feng and Han Xian, assembling a total of seven armies, claiming to number 200,000, and marched straight towards Xuzhou, intending to first eliminate the ungrateful Lü Bu and then occupy Xuzhou.

But Lü Bu was not someone to be trifled with.

Although this greatest general in the land was inept at governing the country, he was a natural genius at warfare.

She adopted Chen Gong's strategy, first sowing discord between Yang Feng and Han Xian, and then personally leading elite cavalry to launch a surprise attack on the central army camp of Yuan Shu's general Zhang Xun.

Under the combined attack of Lü Bu's fierce offensive and the defection of Yang and Han, Yuan Shu's seven-pronged army completely collapsed. Commander Zhang Xun barely escaped with his life, but lost all his supplies.

Even after this battle, Yuan Shu remained unrepentant and launched another northern attack on the State of Chen, killing the Chancellor Luo Jun and plundering the people.

Although Cao Cao had just suffered a defeat at Wancheng, he did not hesitate upon hearing the news and sent Xiahou Dun and Yu Jin to lead troops to attack.

The two armies clashed at the Huan River, where Yuan Shu's army suffered a major defeat and he was driven back to his hometown in Huainan.

After this battle, Yuan Shu's regime, which had been at its zenith and poised to usurp the Han dynasty just a few months earlier, had become a laughingstock.

Yuan Shu's two major defeats also gave Sun Ce a chance to catch his breath.

She expelled Yuan Yin, the governor of Danyang appointed by Yuan Shu, and thwarted the attack of Chen Yu, the governor of Wu Commandery. By then, she had completely occupied the three commanderies of Wu, Kuaiji, and Danyang, and had established a firm foothold in Jiangdong.

……

However, these things have little to do with Liu Xun.

After returning from Wancheng, he finally began to live a peaceful and comfortable life.

Even Liu Xun himself was a little embarrassed by the changes at Wannian Villa.

Ever since he saved Cao Cao's life in Wancheng, this Minister of Works has been sending people to deliver things to him every few days:

Cao Cao ordered half of the tangerines from Nanjun, the silk from Yingchuan, the newly cast bronze lamps from Nanyang, and even the fine tea that was to be presented as tribute to the palace to be sent to Wannian Villa.

Liu Xun once casually remarked, "There are more guards lately, and Sun Shangxiang and Sun Yi are young, so it's sometimes a bit too lively."

As a result, Cao Cao sent people to measure the land the next day, and began demolishing the walls on the third day.

By the time the project was completed, the Wannian Villa was comparable in size to a prince's mansion. The residences on either side, which originally belonged to two different government offices, were merged into it.

Not only were there new halls, guest rooms, and flower gardens, but a drill ground was even set aside.

"Your Highness has rendered great service to the nation, so it is only right that you live in a more spacious residence," Xun Yu said with a smile.

Liu Xun had no choice but to pretend he was unaware of Cao Cao's ulterior motives.

Restoring the Han dynasty is not something that can be accomplished in a day; we should enjoy life to the fullest!

The sun was shining brightly at that moment, and several newly pasted targets stood in the renovated and expanded archery range in the west courtyard.

Liu Xun stood twenty paces away from the target, dressed in a light blue, narrow-sleeved outfit, his bow drawn as full as a moon.

"Clang!"

The arrow left the bowstring and soared into the sky.

Then, it grazed the edge of the target at an angle and disappeared into the haystack behind it with a "plop".

"Pfft."

Sun Shangxiang laughed without any mercy.

The little girl crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head, saying, "Missed the target again. Brother is really... well, as steady as a rabbit!"

Liu Xun showed no shame, and even leisurely held the bow upright, turning it around a couple of times to loosen his wrist.

He didn't have high expectations for archery to begin with.

Because no bug could be found.

I've been practicing archery with Sun Shangxiang recently, simply to get the free combat power points from skill upgrades.