Chapter 8: Cao Xin Presents His Plan

  Three hours later.

  Five thousand soldiers and horses in Xuchang City marched out with a loud noise, led by a young general with a stern face, followed by two tall bodyguards and a group of cavalry and infantry behind him.

  "Anmin, elder brother. At this rate, I don't know how many more days it will take to reach Rencheng." As he came to a city gate, Cao Ang suddenly reined in his horse and turned around to look at a seven-foot-tall handsome cavalryman behind him.

  At this time, it had been three hours since leaving Xuchang City. Cao Anmin, as ordered by Cao Cao, served as one of Cao Ang's ordinary bodyguards along with Zhou Tong. However, although he was a bodyguard, Cao Ang attached great importance to Cao Anmin and often asked him questions.

  At this time, Cao Anmin couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh as he looked at the troops behind him. Seeing that most of them were infantry, he shook his head and said: "Although our army has 5,000 soldiers, there are only 800 cavalrymen, and the remaining 4,000 or so are all infantrymen. At this marching speed, it's likely to take... half a month to reach Rencheng..."

  Cao Ang heard this and was also in a dilemma, but suddenly saw Cao Anmin with a bitter face, as if thinking of something, and suddenly smiled: "Brother, how about this..."

  Cao Anmin's eyebrows jumped, and he didn't know what the other person was going to say.

  "But why don't you and Zhou brothers go to Xuzhou instead..."

  One sentence suddenly awakened Cao Anmin's heart, and his body couldn't help but tremble at this moment.

  "Are you going to let me go to Xuzhou!?" With a glance at Zhou Yu beside him, Cao Anmin looked at his cousin in front of him and said with some difficulty in believing: "You should know that the master wants you to take care of me..."

  "It doesn't matter. This time the journey to Ren City is far away, since you want to go and do it, then go and do it. Although I don't know if your choice is right or not, after all, we are childhood playmates, I respect you as my elder brother, what's there to take care of?"

  Cao Ang's face showed a warm and gentle smile, which added a few more sunbeams to his stern countenance. Cao Anmin never expected that Cao Ang, who had died with him in history, would be so loyal and righteous, and he felt a little moved at heart.

  "Thank you, Brother Ang, for your understanding... I am truly ashamed..."

  "That's good, after passing the city gate, there are two roads. One leads to Rencheng State and the other is the route to Xuzhou. Brother can take hundreds of riders to enter Xuzhou. If the old man really wants to be reckless, he can also protect himself." At this point, Cao Ang cupped his hands and said with an air of grandeur.

  "No need, Zhou Yu and I can handle it with just the two of us! Too many people might arouse suspicion from Tao Qian in Xuzhou!" Cao Anmin also didn't hesitate, cupped his hands, exchanged a glance with Zhou Yu, and turned to leave on horseback.

  However, the two of them walked a short distance away, but Cao Anmin suddenly reined in his horse and turned back. Before Cao Ang could say goodbye, the former returned to Cao Ang's side once again.

  "Has Elder Brother changed his mind?" Seeing Cao Anmin leave and return, he thought the other party had retreated, so his face slightly changed.

  As he clasped his hands together, Cao Anmin said in a low voice, "No, I've come back to ask Brother Ang, how do you plan to handle this expedition against Cao Mao?"

  When Cao Anmin asked this, Cao Ang did not react and immediately said: "Of course, concentrate 5,000 troops to launch a fierce attack on Rencheng..."

  As soon as he finished speaking, Cao Anmin shook his head and said, "In that case... Brother Yang will surely lose."

  "Haha, brother, you're joking! I have 5,000 troops, while Cao Mengde has only 3,000. With five against three, how can we not win?"

  "Ah, Brother Ang... Although Rencheng has only 3,000 troops stationed there, this city surrendered voluntarily when our lord attacked Yan Province. As a result, the city walls of Rencheng are intact and undamaged, with ample supplies of food and fodder for the horses. Moreover, by the time you arrive at Rencheng with your marching speed, Cao Mengde will certainly have made thorough preparations. Not to mention the possibility of ambushes along the way, attacking the city is also a difficult task. Even if you have over 10,000 elite troops now, it's not easy to break through Rencheng in just one or two moments."

  "Brother's words are reasonable......" Cao Ang furrowed his brow, obviously in complete agreement with Cao Anmin's words, yet couldn't help but say anxiously: "What can be done?"

  However, at this moment, when he heard the other person say this, Cao Anmin suddenly burst out laughing and confidently said: "I have a plan that can help Brother Ang obtain Cao Miao's head within five days, and... without losing a single soldier!"

  Upon hearing Cao Anmin's words, Cao Ang's eyes lit up and he hastily asked: "Is there really such a wonderful plan in the world?"

  Hehe, Cao Anmin suddenly laughed and said: "You... come closer and listen."

  In Cao Ang's ear, he whispered a few words, but in an instant, the other party was shocked to hear more and more, and when they heard the last one, they couldn't help but smile with joy, and hurriedly shouted:

  "How wonderful! My elder brother is indeed a divine being! Alright, alright! I'll set off immediately and rush to Ren City tonight! This Ren City will be easily broken through, haha!"

  "However, Brother Ang should remember that more than 4,000 infantrymen are stationed at this pass, and you can only bring 800 cavalrymen to go forward."

  Just as Cao Ang was rejoicing, he once again heard the previous reminder and paused for a moment, then asked in confusion: "What's going on?"

  "The Art of War says: 'Speed is the essence of war.' When can you arrive at Ren City with these infantrymen? Moreover, my plan requires fewer soldiers to be better, but not too few. Eight hundred men will do."

  So, suddenly enlightened, Cao Ang immediately understood the previous intention, but at this moment, he couldn't help but admire and say: "It's really worth letting those who ridiculed Brother see, if they can successfully behead Cao Mao that scoundrel, Brother should take the first credit..."

  Hearing Cao Ang say this, Cao Anmin didn't take it to heart and returned the courtesy once again.

  "Goodbye, dear brother, Cao is leaving."

  As he spoke, he patted his horse's belly and, with Zhou Duo and two others on horseback, galloped wildly towards the other main road leading to Xuzhou from the city gate.

  Only Cao Ang was left standing in front of the soldiers, looking at the figure slowly disappearing into the distance on the main road, and couldn't help but wonder: "Since my brother could come up with such a clever plan, why did he... Alas, it's really beyond comprehension..."

  *

  It's night.

  Xuzhou borders Yang County a hundred miles outside of Xiaopei City.

  "Old man, it's already late at night, you should get some rest."

  In the post house room of Yang County, Cao Song was holding a book in his hand and reading it carefully by the candlelight. However, upon hearing the words of his attendants beside him, he looked out of the window at the sky.

  But saw that the sky had unknowingly turned into a dark sheet, looking at the attendant beside him, he couldn't help but ask: "What time is it now?"

  "Returning to the old man, it's already past the hour of Hai, now it's three quarters past Zi."

  "Oh? It's already midnight?" Surprised, he glanced at the other person, but instead of putting down the book in his hand, he suddenly said with a curious tone:

  "For some reason, I'm feeling exceptionally restless tonight, even these books can't calm me down... I don't know why... my heart is very uneasy..."

  It's just like Cao Song said, especially tonight, Cao Song couldn't concentrate his mind, looking at these books, but his heart was always thinking of other things. Since entering Xuzhou, he kept thinking of Cao Anmin's words "This time going to Xuzhou, I'm afraid there will be no day to turn back".

  Time and again, thinking of Cao Song in his heart, he became increasingly uneasy.

  At this time, the attendant saw that Lao Taigong was a bit uncomfortable and said: "Should we go call Zhang Duwei to send over a bowl of soup to calm your spirit?"

  He waved his hand and Cao Xuan shook his head calmly: "Forget it, I'll take a rest now, you can go down too..."

  "Agreed."

  The attendant responded with a sound, turned around and left immediately. However, just as the attendant was about to open the door and leave...

  "Hmmph..."

  A sharp blade suddenly pierced through the door from outside and stabbed towards the attendant. Unbeknownst to him, as his chest was being pierced, a tall shadow simultaneously appeared on the door.

  "What's going on?!" The sudden change of events made Cao Cong suddenly shocked and lost his color, but he crawled up from the ground and hid in the corner of the wall, retreating while shouting silently.

  "Bang!" He kicked the door of the house violently.

  A fierce and smiling general led the way in, followed by a dense crowd of soldiers.

  At this moment, Cao Song saw the leader and suddenly woke up with a start, exclaiming: "You... aren't you Zhang Duwei, the one sent by Lord Tao to escort me? What is the meaning of this?"

  Niu Wu heard Cao Song's words, but he coldly laughed and looked at the blood of the attendant on the ground. He sneered: "Tao Qian is a hypocrite! He claims to be a righteous man, but he doesn't even treat me with respect just because I'm an old Yellow Turban rebel... Humph, I've followed him for so many years, and yet he doesn't value me at all..." As he spoke, he looked at Cao Song, his eyes flashing with a hint of coldness. "I didn't want to kill you, but the wealth you're wearing is too eye-catching. Today, don't blame me, Zhang Ke, for doing what I must do... Hahaha..."

  When he heard this, Cao Song suddenly became furious, his white hair standing on end, and he roared at Zhang Ke in front of him: "You are no different from bandits!"

  "Bandit? Hmph......" Slowly grasping the sword at his waist, Zhang Ke's gloomy face suddenly darkened, staring at Cao Xiong in front of him, he suddenly shouted: "I am a bandit!!!"

  As he spoke, a flash of white light flickered by, and Zhang Ke's dagger in his hand suddenly made a swift slash in the air...

  A surge of blood suddenly spurted out in the room...

  "Hmm......" "Uh......"

  The sword light stopped, and Cao Song immediately fell to the ground, with fresh blood forming a pool of blood, directly reflecting his face, but at this moment Cao Song had lost consciousness.

  However, at the moment of Cao Song's death, it seemed that in the depths of his subconscious, that sentence once again emerged in his mind...

  "This time I'm going to Xuzhou... afraid there will be no day of return..."

  PS: New book is not easy, **is about to arrive**, I think this book can still enter the eyes, and request a vote and collection.