Three Kingdoms: A wise grandson, Cao Wei can last for three generations!

"I'm leaving this to you. Pick a few quick-witted people and get it done tonight."

Yu Jin accepted the order and left.

That night, in Han Sui's camp.

A group of men sneaked in under cover of darkness, hacking down anyone they saw and burning any tents they encountered, shouting, "By order of General Ma, we have slain the old traitor Han Sui!"

Han Sui awoke with a start from his dream, rushed out to find the camp ablaze with flames and in complete chaos.

"That brat Ma Chao!" He was so angry his mustache stood on end. "I allied with him, and he pulls this stunt!"

His subordinates quickly tried to calm him down: "General, please calm down. Perhaps it's one of Cao Cao's men in disguise..."

"Imitating?" Han Sui roared. "Those people are shouting with a Liangzhou accent! Do you think I wouldn't recognize Ma Chao's men?"

Meanwhile, in Ma Chao's camp.

Another group of men sneaked in, also setting fires and killing people, shouting, "By order of General Han, we have executed that brat Ma Chao!"

Ma Chao charged out with his spear, and his face turned ashen when he saw those figures.

"Han Sui!" He plunged his spear into the ground. "I respected you as my uncle, how dare you treat me like this!"

His subordinates tried to calm him down, but he kicked one of them away.

"Calm down? What are you talking about? They've already come knocking on our door!"

The next morning, Ma Chao and Han Sui nearly came to blows on the battlefield.

"Han Sui! What is the reason for sending men to attack my camp last night?"

"Bullshit! You were the one who sent men to attack my camp first!"

The two argued heatedly, neither willing to back down.

In the end, Han Sui, being older, calmed down first.

"Mengqi," he said, "something's not right. Maybe Cao Cao sent someone in disguise to deliberately sow discord between us."

Ma Chao sneered, "Impersonating? My men speak with a Liangzhou accent. Cao Cao has no Liangzhou soldiers among his men!"

Han Sui was speechless.

Yes, a Liangzhou accent, how can you fake that?

Just then, Cao Cao's messenger arrived.

"General Han, Prime Minister Cao has sent a letter."

Han Sui took the letter, opened it, and his expression changed.

The letter contained only ordinary greetings, but there were several obvious alterations, as if they had been deliberately erased.

Ma Chao leaned closer to take a look and sneered, "Uncle, what does this letter say? Can I see it?"

Han Sui handed him the letter. Ma Chao's face darkened even more after reading it.

"Uncle, what has been altered? Is there something you're hiding from me?"

Han Sui grew anxious: "Mengqi, this letter arrived like this, I don't know what happened!"

Ma Chao looked at him, his eyes full of suspicion.

"Uncle, our two families formed an alliance to deal with Cao Cao. If you have any other intentions, we should break up now."

After saying that, he turned his horse and rode away.

Han Sui stood there, stunned, trembling with rage.

That evening, Han Sui summoned several of his trusted confidants to his tent.

"Ma Chao is too suspicious. If this continues, our alliance will surely fall apart."

His subordinates advised him, "General, why don't we go and talk to Cao Cao first? Let's find out what he's capable of?"

Han Sui hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright. Send someone there quietly, without letting Ma Chao know."

What he didn't know was that the men he sent were spotted by Ma Chao's men as soon as they left the camp.

The next day, Ma Chao stormed into Han Sui's camp with great momentum.

"Han Sui! You sent someone to see Cao Cao, do you think I didn't know?"

Han Sui was stunned: "Meng Qi, listen to me..."

"What are you talking about?" Ma Chao pointed his spear at him. "I treat you like an uncle, and you think I'm a fool?"

Han Sui also became furious: "Ma Mengqi! Your father and I are sworn brothers, would I harm you?"

"Sworn brothers?" Ma Chao sneered. "Then how do you explain that letter? How do you explain sending someone to see Cao Cao?"

The two argued fiercely and parted on bad terms.

When the news reached Cao Cao's camp, Cao Cao laughed heartily.

"Excellent! Excellent!" He looked at Cao Rui, his eyes full of admiration. "Rui'er, your plan is even more ruthless than Wenhe's!"

Cao Rui scratched his head and chuckled.

"My grandson is just imagining things."

Jia Xu, standing nearby, said slowly, "If they can come up with such wild ideas, what will they be like in the future?"

Pang Tong laughed too: "This kid will definitely be worse than both of us in the future."

Cao Rui was both amused and exasperated: "Sir, are you praising me or scolding me?"

Everyone laughed.

Only Sima Yi stood in the corner, looking at Cao Rui with an indescribable look in his eyes.

Jia Xu caught that gaze.

The old man squinted, silently making a mental note.

In the days that followed, Cao Cao's army remained inactive.

The allied forces of Ma Chao and Han Sui grew increasingly disunited each day. The two camps were wary of each other, and the patrolling soldiers would glare at each other when they met.

Cao Cao held daily meetings in his tent, and Cao Rui would always listen in. He didn't speak, he just listened, listening to how the strategists analyzed the situation and how the generals discussed the enemy's situation.

Jia Xu once asked him, "After listening for so many days, what have you figured out?"

Cao Rui thought for a moment and said, "I can tell everyone is waiting."

"What are you waiting for?"

"Wait until Ma Chao and Han Sui start fighting each other."

Jia Xu nodded and then asked, "Do you think they will fight?"

Cao Rui shook his head: "I don't know. But even if they don't fight, their morale is low. Once their morale is low, it'll be easier to fight them."

Jia Xu looked at him with a hint of relief in his eyes.

"Not bad, you've improved."

That night, Cao Rui couldn't sleep, so he went out of his tent for some fresh air.

Under the moonlight, he saw a figure standing not far away, with his back to him, looking at the enemy camp in the distance.

It was Sima Yi.

Cao Rui's heart stirred, and he quietly walked over.

"Mr. Sima."

Sima Yi turned around, saw it was him, was slightly taken aback, and then cupped his hands and said, "Young Master Cao."

Cao Rui stood beside him, also looking towards the enemy camp in the distance.

"What are you looking at, sir?"

Sima Yi paused for a moment, then said, "Let's look at the stars."

Cao Rui paused for a moment, then looked up at the sky. There were indeed many stars tonight, densely covering the sky.

"Sir, do you understand astrology?"

"I know a little," Sima Yi said casually. "I learned some things when I was studying at home."

Cao Rui looked at him, and a complex emotion suddenly welled up in his heart.

This person will one day seize the Cao family's throne.

But now, he is just an ordinary strategist, standing under the moonlight, looking at the stars.

"Sir," Cao Rui suddenly asked, "do you think we will win this battle?"

Sima Yi glanced at him and said, "Yes."

Why?

"Because Ma Chao is destined to lose."

Cao Rui's heart skipped a beat: "How did you know, sir?"

Sima Yi pointed to the enemy camp in the distance: "Look at the lights over there."

Cao Rui looked over and saw that the enemy camp was brightly lit, and he could vaguely see the figures of patrolling people.

"Two camps, so close together, yet each operating independently. The patrols only guard their own territory, ignoring the other side. What does that tell us?"

Cao Rui thought for a moment and said, "It shows that they don't trust each other."

"That's right." Sima Yi nodded. "A distrustful coalition is no match for a lone army. A lone army will fight to the death, while a distrustful coalition will only flee for their lives."

Cao Rui remained silent.

Sima Yi's words were very insightful.

He suddenly recalled a saying from history—Sima Yi was good at "observing people in subtle ways".

To be able to discern enemy activity simply by observing the lights—that's truly exceptional insight.

"Thank you for your guidance, sir," Cao Rui said, bowing slightly.

Sima Yi shook his head: "Young master, there's no need to thank me. Mr. Jia and Mr. Pang will teach you these things."

He paused, then suddenly said, "Young master is exceptionally intelligent and will surely achieve great things in the future. However—"

"Just what?"

Sima Yi looked at him; in the moonlight, his eyes were unfathomable.

"But clever people often don't live long. Young master, remember this—sometimes, concealing your talents is more important than showing them off."

After saying this, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, turned, and left.

Cao Rui stood there, stunned, watching his figure disappear into the night.

Is this statement well-intentioned, or something else?

He didn't know. But he remembered.