Chapter 68: Cheng Yu Presents His Plan

  Qin Xu unfortunately spoke the truth.

  Historically, Cao Cao's success in conquering such a vast territory is inseparable from his keen insight, smooth communication channels and resolute character.

  Just as Qin Xu built a fast march to Lu Bu, striving to arrive at Linzi, the capital of Qingzhou, Cao Cao also received news from his scouts.

  "This news has come so late!" Old Cao exclaimed with a hint of despair, holding the bamboo slip in his hand.

  Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan took the wrong medicine, and our old Cao also suffered a loss. If this news had come a few days earlier, Lü Bu would not have taken advantage of Qingzhou for nothing.

  Qingzhou, with its six counties and three territories, borders the river and faces the sea, with countless fields and a population of several million. Although there are Yellow Turban bandits wreaking havoc within its borders, how do they compare to Zhang Jue's brothers? They're just a dish! If we can make use of them, that would be the foundation of our military strength!

  What about now? Besides getting a box of jewels from Lü Bu, there's no benefit at all, and I've even offended my two trusted assistants for nothing. And what have I lost? Not only did I let a formidable enemy like a fierce tiger settle in my own backyard, but I also foolishly sent the tiger to eat the dish that should have belonged to me, which will only make it stronger.

  Isn't this just being idle with full stomach?

  After chopping up almost the entire table with his sword, Cao Cao gradually calmed down and ordered the summoning of Sima Yi, Xi Zhi, and Cheng Yu to discuss matters.

  "Your Excellency, what's wrong?" asked Xun Yu, the man Cao Cao called "my Zifang". He looked at the servants picking up the broken table and asked. In his impression, Cao Cao had always been a man of great strategy and broad-mindedness, at least in the few years they had been together, no matter how difficult things were, he had never seen Cao Cao lose his composure like this before.

  "Hah! Let Wen Ruo see the joke!" Cao Cao self-deprecatingly smiled and sighed, saying: "I've discovered that I made a big mistake, for no reason giving myself a great enemy in the future, but now I'm at a loss as to what to do!"

  "Is it Lord Lü Bu that you're referring to?" Xi Zhī's usual languid demeanor was completely gone, his pale face flushed with an unusual red glow as he asked, after a series of violent coughs.

  "Master Xi, please take care of your body, we still need to rely on your wisdom, these small matters don't require your attention." Cao Cao's face showed concern and comforted Xi Zhicai with a few words before turning to Xun Yu: "Wen Ruo, as we predicted earlier, the conflict between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan would erupt in Qingzhou. We planned to use Lü Bu to restrain Gongsun Zan and Tao Qian, drawing Yuan Shao's attention away; but now the conflict between Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao has intensified. Yuan Shao occupies Ji and Bing provinces, while Gongsun Zan solely occupies You province and part of Liaodong. Both sides' forces are roughly equal, and they're both fighting on two fronts. For the time being, I'm afraid they won't be able to pay attention to Qing and Yan provinces."

  "Isn't this letting Lü Bu off scot-free?" Cheng Yu said in a stifled tone. Cheng Yu's temperament was originally extremely hot-blooded, and since that day when he was thoroughly scolded by Qin Yong, he hadn't left the house for several days, feeling like everyone was laughing at him. To think about it, being insulted by someone nearly two generations younger than himself was a great humiliation! If he didn't avenge this grievance, he estimated that Old Cheng would never be able to hold his head up again in this lifetime. With this thought, he also didn't have any good feelings towards Lü Bu.

  "What Zhong De said is exactly what I was thinking!" Cao Cao looked at the Shou Zhang Ling, who had been recruited by him not long ago, with a sympathetic gaze. His administrative ability was unparalleled, and his wisdom was also top-notch, but this temper was too explosive, being angered by a little girl's few words to such an extent, it was hard to say whether it was pitiful or regrettable.

  "Where is Lü Bu's army marching now?" Cao Cao furrowed his brow and pondered for a moment before suddenly asking.

  "Judging by the date, we should be near Puyang where General Miao Zhai is stationed." Xun Yu said casually, but suddenly seemed to think of something and said: "Master, aren't you thinking of..."

  Xu Shu remained silent, but Cheng Yu seemed to understand the meaning behind Cao Cao's words. A hint of excitement appeared on his face as he exclaimed loudly: "Lü Bu had offended Yuan Benchu in Hebei and was pursued by Yuan Shao; our army is allied with Yuan Shao! When you agreed to let Lü Bu pass through our territory, it was just a temporary expedient, the goal being to lure him into our midst and kill him. Now that Lü Bu has fallen for the trick, shouldn't we take this opportunity to eliminate this scourge?"

  Since Cheng Yu started speaking, Xi Zhi had been frowning, seeing Cao Cao seemed to be very moved by Cheng Yu's plan, a hint of worry flashed in his eyes.

  "Our lord, currently our army in Chenliu has 30,000 troops, General Miao's army under his command has 20,000 troops, and General Cao Chun, who is guarding Dongjun, also has several thousand cavalry and 10,000 infantry, totaling nearly 70,000 troops! As for Lü Bu, although he claims to have an army of 20,000, the actual number of soldiers who can fight is only around 7,000, including the Trap Array, Xíng Mǎ, Flying Cavalry, Divine Archers, and Imperial Guards. The rest are miscellaneous troops that don't need to be considered! If our lord can join forces with the other two generals and attack from three sides, even if Lü Bu has the strength of a tiger with wings, in a situation where we have ten times his numbers, he will still be unable to escape defeat! I hope our lord will consider this carefully!"

  "Hmm?" Cao Cao took a deep breath, pretending to be in thought, but the corner of his eye was actually watching Xun Yu and Jia Xu's expressions.

  Xun Yu was fine, although he had a faint frown on his face, but still didn't lose his elegance. He seemed to be somewhat disapproving of Cheng Yu's words, but for the time being, he couldn't think of any other good way to stop Lü Bu from entering Qingzhou and posing a greater threat to Cao's army. He just lowered his head and pondered, without saying a word.

  But Yu Zhi Cai didn't have that many worries, first he looked at Cheng Yu with a silly expression, rolled his eyes, and then heavily sighed several times, shaking his head and glancing at Cheng Yu's furious face.

  Xī Zhì Cái's words left Chéng Yùn bewildered, but as a newcomer to Cáo Cāo's advisory circle, he knew that Xī Zhì Cái was highly trusted by Cáo Cāo. So, suppressing his own discomfort, he asked: "Mr. Xī seems to disagree with my words; may I ask if you have any lofty views that can alleviate our lord's worries?"

  "Ah!" Zuo Ci stretched his waist and said to Cao Cao: "My lord, look at Qin Xu."

  Cao Cao was momentarily puzzled as to why Xi Zhi suddenly changed the subject, bringing up the topic of Qin Yi, the main clerk who had been deeply hated by Cheng Yu. However, Xi Zhi always spoke with a purpose, and Cao Cao glanced at Cheng Yu, whose eyes had turned red with rage at the mention of the name, and said to Xi Zhi: "The other day, you and Wen Ruo were discussing how your old friend Guo Jia was a hundred times better than this Qin Xiaozi. I have already sent someone to investigate Guo Jia's whereabouts. Why bring up Qin Xu again today?"

  "If it were just Lü Bu alone, although he has the bravery of a fierce tiger, he is only a temporary hero. Mr. Zhong's plan might be effective, but... " Xi Zhi let out a cold laugh and said: "If Qin Xu were to find out about this news, how do you think he would advise Lü Bu?"

  "But isn't that just a child, Master Qi overestimating him?" Cheng Yu heard the praise in Xi Zhi's words and coldly said: "Not to mention whether they can obtain this information after infiltrating deep into enemy territory, even if they do know, what can be done? I don't believe that little brat can come up with a clever plan to escape unscathed under the attack of Master Qi's army ten times his size, relying solely on his eloquence? Haha! Ha..."

  Cheng Yu finished speaking, seeing that neither Cao Cao nor Xun Yu showed any intention of agreeing with him, he felt embarrassed and stopped smiling. He said to Cao Cao: "My lord, an opportunity once lost will never come again! If Lü Bu succeeds in occupying Qingzhou, our army will fall into a passive position."

  "Wenruo, what do you think?" Cao Cao seemed to be moved by Cheng Yu's words, but also found Zhiyi's words reasonable. Qin Xu's performance that day was indeed extraordinary, whether it was his quick wit or extensive knowledge, both made Cao Cao regret not having recruited Lü Bu instead.

  "My lord, Mr. Zhongde's words are indeed reasonable. If my lord only wants to solve the immediate problem, this plan can be implemented. However...” Xun Yu clicked his tongue and made a subtle gesture with his eyes, saying: "No matter whether it is a three-pronged attack or other methods, from Chenliu to Puyang, even fast horses will take at least three days, and to Dongjun, at least five days are needed. Moreover, the deployment strategy of the 30,000-strong army in Chenliu also requires two days. By the time everything is ready, I'm afraid it will be difficult to catch up with Lü Bu's marching army."

  "Then, on the one hand, quickly inform Generals Xiahou Yuan and Cao Chun to deploy troops, while on the other hand, secretly spread rumors among the bandits along the way that Lü Bu's army is carrying a large amount of gold, silver, and grain. This can temporarily slow down Lü Bu's march! If all goes well, I'm afraid our lord's three armies won't be going to surround Lü Bu, but rather to eliminate the hidden bandits, and incidentally accept Lü Bu's military supplies!" A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Cheng Yu's eyes. He was indeed a ruthless man who dared to use human flesh as military rations, and would stop at nothing to destroy Lü Bu's army, even using the tactic of "driving out wolves to swallow tigers" by aiding the enemy.

  "Let me think about it again!" After hearing Cheng Yu's plan, Cao Cao's eyes flashed with joy, but seeing the dissatisfaction on Xun Yu and Jia Xu's faces, Cao Cao didn't dare to agree immediately, lest he chill the hearts of his two trusted advisors. He gave a signal to Cheng Yu and pretended to be tired, ordering him to leave.

  "Wenruo, why don't you advise our lord! Such a poisonous plan is just drinking poison to quench thirst. If it spreads out, even if we defeat Lü Bu, it will have a very bad impact on our lord's reputation and the governance of Yan Province in the future. When the skin is gone, where can the hair attach? Cheng Zhongde is going crazy!"

  "Cheng Zhongde was humiliated by that Qin Xu in front of the Manchu civil and military officials, it's normal for him to be flustered. Let's not bother with him anymore, brother. I think our lord is quite concerned about this plan, let's not waste our minds on it, lest we displease our lord." Xun Yu said with a bitter face: "As for the governance of the state, if we can come up with some solutions to reduce the suffering of the common people from war, even if this plan is exposed, we will have fewer curses."

  "Since that's the case, Wen Ruo, you go and attend to your official duties. I'll just go and have a drink!" Xi Zhi's face turned even paler, and the sickly flush on his cheeks grew even redder. He coughed weakly several times, then coldly laughed and said: "I don't know if our letter has been delivered into the hands of that scoundrel Feng Xiao. If Feng Xiao were here, he would certainly have a clever plan to make it so that Cheng Yu wouldn't need to resort to such vile and despicable tactics."

  "Filial piety......" Xun Yu suddenly felt a strange sense of unease.

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