I, Zhou Cang, am the number one tank in the Three Kingdoms.

At Guandu, both Cao Cao's and Yuan Shao's camps welcomed Liu Bei's envoys.

At this time, Yuan Shao had already launched a large-scale attack from Yangwu to Guandu. Cao Ren urgently reported this to Cao Cao, who then personally led troops to provide support.

In Cao Cao's camp, Cao Cao, dressed in armor and helmet, sat in his tent, holding Liu Bei's proclamation and the familiar imperial edict in his hand. He remained silent, his eyes revealing a murderous intent.

"My lord..." Guo Jia called out to Cao Cao in a low voice.

"Is there anything else?" Cao Cao didn't look at Guo Jia, but just stared blankly at the proclamation.

"According to the messenger, the proclamation has also been sent to Xuchang... I believe the Prime Minister should make a decision quickly!"

Cao Cao threw the proclamation on the ground and cursed, "Liu Bei is nothing but a weaver of mats and a sandal seller, yet he dares to act so recklessly!"

"I'll deal with Yuan Shao after I defeat him!" Cao Cao roared angrily, slamming his fist on the table with a loud bang.

"Report—!"

A rider galloped to the camp gate, shouting, dismounted, and rushed into the tent to deliver a messenger's urgent message, yelling "Urgent military intelligence from Runan."

Guo Jia strode forward, snatched the bamboo slips, read them quickly, and handed them to Cao Cao: "My lord, I'm afraid this matter cannot wait until after we defeat Yuan Shao!"

Cao Cao took the bamboo slip and read it aloud unconsciously: "Liu Bei has already marched his troops to Yan County. The enemy forces number over ten thousand and will arrive soon. I beg the Prime Minister to come to our rescue immediately..."

"Snap!" After reading the bamboo slips, Cao Cao snapped them in two, then walked into his tent and paced back and forth angrily.

In his rage, the only sound in the entire tent was Cao Cao's rapid breathing.

"Prime Minister! Prime Minister!" Another voice called out as it ran into the tent, breaking the silence inside.

Cao Cao was already furious and had nowhere to vent his anger when he heard someone calling him. He clenched his fists, about to curse, but when he saw Liu Ye rushing over, he suppressed his anger.

"Ziyang, what is it?" Cao Cao asked irritably.

"Ah..." Liu Ye felt a little awkward when he saw the serious atmosphere in the tent and Cao Cao's bloodshot eyes.

"Speak freely!"

"Prime Minister, the catapults are ready, and our soldiers are using them to attack Yuan's earthen mounds!" Liu Ye finally reported some good news.

"Oh? Really?" Cao Cao said as he walked out of the tent, with his civil and military generals following closely behind.

Sure enough, along the camp wall, a row of hundreds of catapults launched a barrage of stones. On the earthen mound built by Yuan's army outside the camp, countless archers were crushed to death, and cries of agony filled the air.

Cao Cao then managed a weak smile: "Ziyang, this is truly a remarkable achievement! When I return to Xuchang, I will reward you handsomely!"

"Thank you, Prime Minister!" Liu Ye bowed in thanks and then stood behind Guo Jia and the other strategists.

Back in his tent, Cao Cao calmed down and looked around at everyone, saying, "That scoundrel Liu Bei dared to launch a rebellion while my army was away fighting, and he even tried to seize my capital, Xuchang. What are your thoughts on this, gentlemen?"

Guo Jia stepped forward and said, "My lord, I believe that although Liu Bei has issued a proclamation to the world and seems to have a great momentum, the land of Yan County is protected by the Ru River, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Since Liu Bei has just returned to Runan, he must not have many skilled soldiers. My lord only needs to send an army to block him."

Cao Cao asked, "Does Fengxiao mean we shouldn't pay too much attention to Liu Bei, or is this place more important?"

Guo Jia nodded and said, "That's right."

Cao Cao then asked Xun You, "What is your opinion, Gongda?"

Xun You slowly stepped forward, pondered for a moment, and said, "In my opinion, Zilian and Yuanrang were both defeated in Runan, and Bo Ning did not achieve anything there either. Now Liu Bei has arrived again. We must not be careless about the enemy's strength."

"Although Yan County is easy to defend and difficult to attack, once the enemy breaks through, it will be a flat plain. They can retreat to besiege Xuchang or advance to attack Guandu. At that time, we may be unable to attend to both sides and will be unable to take care of both ends."

"Oh? What does Gongda mean?" Cao Cao frowned, turning his head to look at Xun You.

Xun You nodded and said, "Fortunately, we have received the catapults from Ziyang. Our army is no longer constrained by Yuan's earthen mounds. With such a powerful weapon, Yuan's army will not dare to make any move. I think we should take this opportunity to send an army south to achieve a quick victory, break through Runan, and eliminate any worries about the future."

Cao Cao nodded: "That suits me perfectly. What do you think, Fengxiao?"

Guo Jia pondered for a moment and said, "If we can win a quick battle and eliminate this threat in one fell swoop, I think it is feasible."

Cheng Yu stood to the side, intending to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

Cao Cao suddenly raised his head, which he had been keeping lowered, and looked at the row of generals: "Who can defeat the enemy?"

Xiahou Dun and Cao Hong initially wanted to step forward and exchange a glance, but they both stopped. However, when they looked up, they found Cao Cao's disapproving gaze sweeping over them, so they both lowered their heads again.

"Zixiao!" Cao Cao decisively called out Cao Ren. To deal with Liu Bei, they still needed to use the Qingzhou soldiers, and there wasn't much room for choice in who could lead the troops.

"Your subordinate is here!"

"You are appointed commander-in-chief, leading 30,000 troops. You must decisively defeat the 'Big-Eared Bandit' in one battle and return swiftly!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Mancheng! Wenqian!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"You two will be deputy generals. You must immediately take inventory of the troops and provisions, and set off south tomorrow without delay!"

"Yes, sir!"

Cao Ren, Li Dian, and Yue Jin accepted the order and left, while Cao Cao stared blankly at their departing figures.

Liu Bei, this defeated general, had only been away from Yuan Shao for a little over a month, yet he still managed to gather over ten thousand men to challenge him again. Why was he so persistent, fighting on despite repeated defeats?

Among the troops marching towards Yan County at this moment, Guan Yu might be one of them. Alas.

Meanwhile, inside Yuan Shao's camp, a completely different scene unfolded.

Jian Yong stood respectfully in the central command tent, while Yuan Shao sat upright at his desk, carefully reading the proclamation with a smile, and then quickly glancing at the imperial edict.

"Xianhe, you must be tired from this journey. Please take a seat!" Yuan Shao put down the proclamation, beckoned to a guard to bring a stool, and gestured for Jian Yong to sit down.

Jian Yong cupped his hands and said, "Thanks to the great fortune of our lord, after returning to Runan, the Imperial Uncle recruited soldiers and horses and traveled to Jingzhou to share the burden of our lord and jointly punish the traitor Cao."

Yuan Shao nodded and smiled, "Xuande's actions are very much to my liking. It was worth it for me to lend a helping hand when he was defeated in Xuzhou, hahahaha."

Chen Zhen, standing to the side, bowed to Jian Yong and asked, "When will the Imperial Uncle raise an army?"

Upon seeing that it was Chen Zhen, Jian Yong cupped his hands and said, "Oh, Xiaoqi, when I set off from Runan, the Imperial Uncle had already inspected the troops. At this time, the army should be approaching Yan County."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao's eyes lit up: "Oh? I didn't expect Xuande to act so swiftly. May I ask where your troops are?"

At this time, Liu Bei's northward expedition was extremely timely, putting Cao Cao in a precarious position. This had always been Yuan Shao's strategic plan, and now the long-awaited opportunity was within reach, which inevitably excited Yuan Shao.

Jian Yong said leisurely, "Ten thousand soldiers on horseback."

We should say a little more, but not too much. After all, there are many people in Cao Cao's camp who are in league with Yuan Shao. If the numbers on both sides are too different, it wouldn't make sense...

Yuan Shao remained silent after hearing this. This small force was hardly enough to cause any trouble, and the light in his eyes dimmed instantly.

Seeing this, everyone guessed what Yuan Shao meant. Just as Chen Zhen was about to say something to comfort him, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the tent.

"Junyi, go out and take a look!"

A burly, handsome military general stepped forward, brandishing his sword. He was Zhang He, one of the Four Pillars of Hebei.

"My lord, Cao Cao's army has used some unknown method to bombard my soldiers on the earthen mound with rocks, causing heavy casualties!" Zhang He rushed in to report a moment later.

"What?!" Yuan Shao's brows furrowed instantly.