Chapter 14: Xu Zhou Chen Yuanlong (Part 1)

  Chen Deng only laughed and said: "There's nothing else, as long as you surrender to Cao Mengde, Xu State will be safe!"

  As soon as this remark came out, the entire hall was in a state of astonishment, and everyone looked at this young Xuzhou scholar with surprised eyes. Cao Jue was the most excited, suddenly standing up, pointing at Chen Deng with his hand and scolding: "Chen Yuanlong, we are all discussing how to defeat the Cao army, you actually dare to advise our lord to surrender! Come on, take down this Cao army spy!"

  Cao Jie was the first person in the Xu State army, and with this one drink, a large number of soldiers naturally rushed forward to surround Chen Deng. However, for these surrounding soldiers, Chen Deng did not show any signs of panic, but instead stood calmly on the spot, gazing at Tao Qian on the main seat with an ambiguous smile.

  "Stop... cough... cough..."

  Just as Cao Jiao was about to step forward and order the arrest, Tao Qian's weak voice stopped him. Although Tao Qian was already old at this time, he had indeed achieved something when he governed Xuzhou in his youth, so Cao Jiao and others also showed great respect for him. At this time, Tao Qian spoke up, and Cao Jiao just hummed lightly, waved his hand, and let the soldiers retreat.

  Meeting Tao Qian's profound gaze, Chen Deng nodded secretly and said: "Although the governor is old, his mind has not yet reached a state of confusion." After thinking for a moment, Chen Deng smiled confidently at Tao Qian.

  On the other side, Tao Qian coughed for a long time, panting heavily, before asking: "Huh... Yuan Long, tell me in detail, why should I surrender to Cao Mengde."

  Although old and frail, Tao Qian was still wise and able to hold his own among the warlords. Chen Deng took another look at Tao Qian's aged appearance and secretly sighed before bowing his head and asking: "Sir, what do you think is the current situation like between Xuzhou and Cao Mengde?"

  Tao Qian listened and then closed his eyes, deep in thought on the main seat. At this moment, except for Tao Qian's heavy breathing, everyone in the entire hall was silent.

  After a long time, Tao Qian finally opened his eyes. At this moment, Chen Deng clearly saw that there was no longer any dullness in Tao Qian's eyes, but instead, they were shining brightly. Indeed, Tao Qian took a deep breath and said in a steady voice: "Zhang Kun killed Cao Mengde's father, and he led the army to attack and avenge him. My Xu State has been in an unjust position from the beginning. If the Cao army really slaughtered the city, my Xu State could turn the tables and occupy the moral high ground. At that time, we only need to unite the people of Xu State and defend the city firmly. However, now the Cao army not only did not slaughter the city but also spread many rumors. I am well aware that this is the Cao army's strategy to attack our hearts. In this situation, my Xu State can be said to have lost both the support of the people and the advantage of timing, and we can only rely on the geographical advantage to fight against the Cao army."

  Everyone in the hall saw that Tao Qian's analysis was thorough and to the point, as if they had seen the ambitious and aspiring Tao Qian of years ago return, and they were all invigorated.

  But just then, Chen Deng's words were like a basin of cold water poured over everyone's head, extinguishing the flames that had just risen in their hearts. He said: "The lord's words about the loss of people's hearts are not entirely accurate, but they are not far off either. The timing is indeed not suitable for use, and as for terrain, there are not many strategic locations within the borders of Xuchang. If we want to defend by relying on dangerous terrain, it would only be the city walls. But Cao's army uses a strategy to attack the heart, if our main force does not station here, I'm afraid that wherever Cao's army arrives, each city will naturally open its gates and surrender...

  Chen Deng said, "Here, Cao Jiao suddenly shouted loudly: 'Chen Yuanlong, you are here to boost the morale of others and destroy the prestige of our army. What is your intention? My Xu State's Dan Yang soldiers are known for their bravery throughout the world. As long as the general himself leads the troops, it will be easy to capture Cao's army!'"

  Cao Jiao finished speaking, Chen Deng just responded with a cold smile and didn't say anything.

  Chen Deng's appearance was as if he were laughing at himself for being overconfident. Cao Jiao felt stifled in his heart and couldn't help but loudly say to Tao Qian: "My lord, I wish to establish a military order and personally lead the Dan Yang army to attack the Cao army. If we can't win, then behead me!"

  "This..." Cao Jue had been under Tao Qian for some time, and how much he weighed was naturally clear to Tao Qian. And the great generals under Cao Cao's command, Tao Qian had also seen them during the campaign against Dong Zhuo. In the battle with Cao's army, the only ones Tao Qian could rely on were indeed the Dan Yang soldiers. Seeing Cao Jue so full of confidence, Tao Qian couldn't bear to disappoint his thoughts, and in fact, he did have a desire to fight it out.

  Seeing Tao Qian's appearance, Chen Deng was secretly anxious and resentful of Cao Bao's overconfidence. He loudly exclaimed: "My lord, the Dan Yang army has not been on the battlefield for a long time, although they have a reputation for being good at fighting, but they are also inexperienced. On the other hand, Cao's Qingzhou army were originally the Yellow Turbans who dominated Qingzhou before surrendering to Cao, and they are brave and skilled in battle. The Dan Yang army may not necessarily be able to defeat them."

  Cao Jue was about to retort, but Tao Qian stopped him by waving his hand and asked Chen Deng: "Yuan Long repeatedly opposed our army fighting against Cao Mengde. Does he have a strategy for defeating the enemy?"

  Chen Deng regained his composure and nodded: "Just surrender to Lord Cao and that will be enough."

  "Hmm?" Another attempt to persuade him, even if Tao Qian was magnanimous, he still had a thread of anger in his heart. His face no longer calm, he asked coldly: "Why did you, Yuan Long, repeatedly advise me to surrender to Cao?"

  Cao Jue saw Tao Qian get angry and was delighted to see Chen Deng embarrassed, so he clasped his hands together and assumed a spectator's attitude.

  In response to Tao Qian's anger, Chen Gong seemed to have expected it and calmly asked: "Then what does your lordship think are the chances of winning in a battle against Cao's army?"

  "Uh..." Tao Qian was asked by Chen Deng and was momentarily speechless, lowering his head to think for a moment. He first stretched out four fingers and said: "How can there be... no..." Breaking off his own words, Tao Qian stretched out one more finger and said: "There should be five parts."

  Looking at Tao Qian's five fingers, Chen Deng felt a sense of helplessness in his heart and secretly thought: "Five parts? The Cao army has come for revenge, and it is unlikely that we will have even one part of the victory." However, Chen Deng would not say this to offend Tao Qian, but instead said: "Even if it's five parts, it's not much. A great general who has won a hundred battles may exist, but even if he uses troops like Han Xin, he wouldn't dare to say that he will definitely win. Since ancient times, when two armies have clashed, they have always calculated defeat before victory. If our army loses this battle, the Cao army can advance all the way to Xiaopei, and without a major change, with the current sentiment of the people in Xuzhou, Xiaopei cannot be defended for long, and Xuzhou will fall. On the other hand, if the Cao army loses, at most they will return to Yanzhou, and after reorganizing their troops next year, they can still come back. Moreover, most common people sympathize with the weak, and the Cao army now has a reputation for benevolence. If the Cao army is defeated and cannot avenge their father's death, the people of Xuzhou will only have more sympathy for them, and when they return, our chances of winning in Xuzhou will be even lower. Therefore, Chen Deng thinks that the key to defeating the enemy lies not in defeating their army, but in killing Cao Mengde!" At this point, Chen Deng's words were filled with murderous intent!