Chapter 99: Cao Cao goes on two expeditions, crisis, Liu Wu wants to lead the army in person

Zhen Mi became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Liu Wu also extracted the imperial ability of Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, which made Liu Wu very happy.

On that day, a grand banquet was held in Xiangyang City, and all the high-ranking officials in Xiangyang City came to celebrate.

Over the next period of time, Liu Wu also started to communicate more with the girls in the backyard.

A lot of time has passed since Mrs. Mi and Mrs. Gan gave birth to their children.

The gap between them and Sun Shangxiang has also begun to narrow, and she also needs more comfort from him.

While Liu Wu was having an in-depth conversation with the ladies in the backyard, he was also paying attention to the development of the situation in Hanzhong.

After receiving the imperial edict, Liu Zhang, governor of Yizhou, appointed Zhang Ren as the general and mobilized 50,000 troops to attack Zhang Lu in Hanzhong.

At this time, Zhang Wei was in a dilemma.

From the west, Zhang Ren led a large army to attack.

In the east, Guan Yu had already mobilized an army of 100,000 to station in the eastern part of Hanzhong, where they conducted military drills every day, ready to attack at any time.

Although Cao Cao sent him a large amount of money, food, and weapons, the time was too short and he had no time to recruit such a large army. Moreover, the army he had just recruited was just a bunch of new recruits and had no combat effectiveness at all.

Zhang Wei was quite anxious, and finally chose to throw the problem to Cao Cao, and sent someone to report to Luoyang by express horse.

Luoyang, Sikong Mansion.

In the meeting hall.

Cao Cao felt quite a headache holding Zhang Wei’s letter for help.

“This Liu Wu is really cunning. He actually used Liu Zhang to break the situation.”

Cao Cao couldn’t help but curse.

Listening to Cao Cao’s words, Xun Yu, Xun You, Jia Xu and Guo Jia in the hall all frowned.

Guo Jia hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Does Cheng Yu have any suggestions?”

Cao Cao picked up another letter, which was sent by Cheng Yu through a secret guard.

After Cao Cao saw it, his eyes suddenly lit up and he said, “Send out the troops!”

“Hmm? Send out troops? Then we’re doomed?” Xun You said with a frown.

Cao Cao smiled, very brightly, and said:
“Cao thinks that Cheng Yu’s suggestion is very good. Now that Hanzhong is facing a powerful enemy and Zhang Wei has offended the court, he will certainly not refuse our army to enter Hanzhong. As long as the army enters Hanzhong, won’t Hanzhong be easily captured?”

Cao Cao’s words made everyone stare at each other, then they all looked at each other and laughed.

“Yes, this strategy is feasible. We didn’t expect that by inducing Liu Wu to attack Hanzhong, we can actually take Hanzhong. However, we need to wait for Liu Wu and Liu Zhang to withdraw their troops completely before we can plan to capture Hanzhong.” Guo Jia said with a smile.

Although Cao Cao said that they could take advantage of the situation to capture Hanzhong, Guo Jia, Xun Yu and others understood that they were just talking.

After all, there are two other princes, Liu Wu and Liu Zhang, outside, forming a pincer attack. If they suddenly attack Zhang Wei, causing conflict and weakening his strength, that would not be helping Liu Wu to take Hanzhong, but helping him to take it.

Therefore, even if Cao’s army entered Hanzhong, they could not act recklessly.

But no matter what, they would not lose out if the army entered Hanzhong.

If they defeated Liu Wu, they could really take over Hanzhong, and then they would have a bridgehead to attack Xiangyang.

Xun Yu hesitated for a moment and said:
“Sending troops is feasible, but I’m afraid this battle will be difficult to fight. We have a large army, plus Zhang Wei’s army, and the enemy has Liu Zhang and Liu Wu. I’m afraid the situation will be deadlocked!”

Cao Cao snorted coldly at Xun Yu’s words and said:
“The situation is at a stalemate? This is impossible. We cannot give Liu Wu a chance to recuperate. Let Cao Hong and Zhang He lead an army of 100,000 into Hanzhong and attack Xiangyang. Also, send an envoy to Liu Zhang to ask him to slow down the attack on Hanzhong. Otherwise, I will attack him again.”

“Also, call Ma Teng and Han Sui to me, Sikong, gather a 100,000-man cavalry army, and attack Guanzhong from Hulao Pass. Even if I use up all the food I have, I will make sure that Liu Wu has no chance to rest and recuperate.”

Cao Cao shouted coldly, an unquestionable aura emanating from him.

What he said made Xun Yu, Xun You, Jia Xu and Guo Jia in the hall all stunned on the spot, and several of them frowned.

However, they felt very conflicted about Cao Cao’s decision.

The current situation is that Cao Cao has some money and food brought from Guandong, and also has a large army.

However, Liu Wu occupied the six states of Guandong, half of the country.

In terms of development, Cao Cao may not necessarily be more developed than Liu Wu.

Therefore, it was not wrong that Cao Cao was eager to destroy the development of Guandong.

However, is it worth it for Cao Cao to obstruct Liu Wu’s development at all costs?
“Sikong wants to use Ma Teng and Han Sui to trample on the states in Guandong?”

Guo Jia asked with a frown.

Ma Teng and Han Sui were both captured after being defeated by Cao Cao.

Many of the enemy’s soldiers were also forced to work as slaves, farming and doing other things every day.

“Yes, there is a shortage of horses in Guandong. Although Liu Wu has taken Youzhou, it was not long ago and he has not prepared sufficient cavalry. Guandong has many plains and is suitable for cavalry to roam freely.” Cao Cao said bluntly.

Hearing this, everyone nodded.

“But it would be a waste of money and food.” Guo Jia shook his head, as if he regretted the consumption of money and food, but he also agreed with Cao Cao’s decision.

At this time, other counselors also agreed with Cao Cao’s decision.

Use cavalry to destroy the development of the Kanto states, and then attack Hanzhong in the south.

Perhaps it would really cause chaos in the states under Liu Wu’s command.

Following Cao Cao’s order, Cao Hong and Zhang He immediately led an army of 100,000 southward to Hanzhong.

Zhang Wei was both happy and surprised at the arrival of Cao’s army. He was happy that with the arrival of Cao’s army, he was no longer alone and the power of Liu Zhang and Liu Wu was lifted. But what worried him was that it was easier to invite a god than to send him away.

However, facing the reinforcements from Cao’s army, Zhang Wei still chose to let them enter Hanzhong.

A large number of Cao’s troops entered Hanzhong. Zhang Ren, who was attacking Hanzhong, immediately ordered to stop the attack.

If it was Zhang Wei alone, with Guan Yu involved in the east, he would still have the confidence to defeat Zhang Wei.

However, now that Cao’s army had come to his aid, he did not dare to fight against both Cao’s army and Zhang Wei’s army at the same time. Fighting against both Cao’s army and Zhang Wei’s army at the same time was undoubtedly a pipe dream. Therefore, he chose to retreat temporarily and wait for Liu Zhang and Liu Wu’s subsequent orders and actions.

At the same time, just as the news that Cao’s army was marching south to Hanzhong to support Zhang Wei spread, it attracted the attention of everyone in the world.

Ma Teng, Han Sui and Cao Chun led a hundred thousand cavalrymen to assemble in a mighty force. The Jinyiwei in Luoyang quickly passed the news to Xiangyang.

The situation in the world was changing dramatically, and the Han Dynasty, which had not been peaceful for long, was once again plagued by the shadow of war.

……

Xiangyang City, the residence of the General of Cavalry.

Liu Wu sat in the main seat.

In the hall, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Cai Mao, Huang Zu, Zhang Fei, Mi Zhu, Jian Yong, Sun Qian, Liu Ba, Jiang Wan, Ma Liang, Kuai Yue, Kuai Liang and other twenty or thirty people gathered together.

This time, when they gathered their troops in large numbers, everyone looked serious and solemn. They obviously knew that Cao Cao had sent 100,000 Cao troops into Hanzhong to help Liu Zhang fight against Xiangyang. Liu Wu waved his hand and said with a headache:
“News just came from Luoyang that Cao Cao is recruiting cavalry with Cao Chun, Ma Teng, and Han Sui as generals. There may be 100,000 cavalrymen. They will march out of Hulao Pass and attack the states in Guandong.”

“what?”

As Liu Wu finished speaking, there was a burst of low shouts and commotion in the hall.

Everyone looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

The Cao army entered Hanzhong to fight, which had already made them nervous. Now there was another piece of news that shocked and panicked them all. Cao Cao was actually going to send Cao Chun, Ma Teng, and Han Sui as generals, and was gathering cavalry, which might number 100,000. They would go out from Hulao Pass and attack their Guandong states?
Zhang Fei was the first to stand up. He opened his eyes wide, as if he couldn’t believe his ears. “How dare Cao Cao be so arrogant? He is fighting on two fronts. Does he want to start a full-scale war with us?”

Cai Mao was also a little panicked, and said: “Is Cao Cao really going to start a full-scale war with us? One hundred thousand Cao troops came from Hanzhong, and now there are another hundred thousand cavalry coming from Hulao Pass, this…”

Cai Mao couldn’t continue.

At this time, everyone in the hall was a little panicked. In fact, Cao’s army came too fast.

Just when the war seemed to have stopped and the states could rest and recuperate in peace, a large-scale war suddenly broke out?

More importantly, they were not prepared.

In an instant, everyone looked at Liu Wu nervously.

At this time, Liu Wu stood still as a mountain, with no expression on his face.

Although Cao Cao gave him a headache, Liu Wu was no longer afraid of Cao Cao.

“Cao Cao’s move is obviously well prepared. He came from Hanzhong and another way out from Hulao Pass. He doesn’t want us to rest and recuperate.” Liu Wu said in a deep voice.

After hearing this, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Liu Ba, Jiang Wan and other counselors all nodded seriously.

Pang Tong looked unhappy and said helplessly:
“Cao Cao is no ordinary opponent. He is also very courageous. He would rather recuperate slowly in Guanzhong, even if it costs a huge price, than let us recuperate.”

“Haha, it’s obvious that Cao Cao is afraid. He is afraid that the six states of Guandong will be recovered.” Liu Wu sneered bluntly.

Hearing Liu Wu say this, all the civil and military officials gradually quieted down.

If you think about it carefully, it seems that if we really talk about recuperation and development, Cao Cao really can’t compare with them.

It is obvious that Cao Cao is anxious now.

However, thinking about the impending invasion of the army, everyone was worried. Development potential is just potential after all. How to deal with Cao Cao’s massive attack now?

“Our army does not have much food now. It is not enough to deal with Cao’s army in Hanzhong, Zhang Wei’s army, and the armies of Cao Chun, Ma Teng, and Han Sui at the same time. In my opinion, we should let all places focus on defense, build strong defenses and clear the fields.” Zhuge Liang sighed. Even if he had a brilliant strategy at this moment, he still felt a little powerless.

The food they have now is actually only enough to fight one war.

But it was far from enough, as they had to fight against Cao’s army in Hanzhong and the cavalry coming out of Hulao Pass at the same time.

Seeing that Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong both looked weak in the hall, Liu Wu also let out a light breath, patted the table, awakened everyone, and said to everyone:

“Cao Cao’s intention is to destroy Guandong’s recuperation. In fact, even if it is just a one-year recuperation, I am confident that I can go to war with Cao Cao in the next year.”

“But this year, since Cao Cao has sent out his troops, we have no choice but to fight with all our might. Otherwise, the six states of Guandong will be trampled upon, and what awaits us will be the beginning of defeat.”

“Therefore, I have decided to personally fight against Cao’s army. I will appoint Guan Yu as the commander-in-chief and fight against Cao’s army in Hanzhong. I will lead the cavalry to Puyang to fight against Cao Chun, Ma Teng, and Han Sui!”

Liu Wu’s words shocked Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong and Cai Mao in the hall.

Liu Wu actually wanted to go to the front line of the army to command the battle in person?
How is this possible?

Since Liu Wu emerged from Nanyang, his reputation has increased dramatically and everyone in the world has regarded him as an outstanding prince.

However, Liu Wu mostly made decisions behind the scenes rather than personally commanding the front line.

In addition, they all noticed Liu Wu’s keywords.

He was going to lead the cavalry to fight against the 100,000 cavalry led by Cao Chun, Ma Teng and Han Sui?

How can this be?

You know, although they gathered war horses, their cavalry was only 20,000.

“My lord, don’t be so reckless. Cao’s cavalry are all elite, and they have five times as many cavalry as us. How can we fight?” Zhuge Liang was so scared that he stood up.

A number of high-ranking civil and military officials in the hall also hurriedly tried to dissuade Liu Wu.

However, Pang Tong and Zhang Fei looked at Liu Wu in surprise and surprisingly did not say anything.

Liu Wu understood what these people were worried about.

However, unless he had no choice, he was unwilling to step out from behind the scenes and onto the stage.

In fact, the six states of Kanto have already begun to recuperate.

If they were allowed to be trampled by the 100,000 cavalry sent by Cao Cao, they would be finished.

In fact, Liu Wu was confident that he could personally lead the cavalry to meet the armies of Cao Chun, Ma Teng and Han Sui.

The fact that he doesn’t lead troops to fight doesn’t mean he is incapable. He has obtained the military power of Flying Tiger General Li Cunxiao and the ability of Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che.

Historically, Li Cunxiao was very good at leading troops in battle. He was known as the most powerful general in ancient times, born with supernatural powers, extremely brave, and invincible on the battlefield.

According to records, Li Cunxiao once defeated several enemy generals by himself, and his personal martial arts was the best at that time.

In his battles with other famous warriors of the same period, Li Cunxiao also showed overwhelming superiority. For example, he easily defeated the second-ranked warrior, Wang Yanzhang, and even captured the third-ranked Gao Siji alive within ten rounds despite being ill.

He often served as a vanguard, leading the cavalry in charges and never suffered defeat.

They can often defeat the enemy with fewer troops and achieve brilliant results.

Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, was also famous for his military strategy.

Whether in terms of military strength, command, wisdom, or politics, his current abilities are sufficient to command cavalry in battle.

Moreover, the cavalry under his command were not ordinary cavalry, but a powerful Mongolian cavalry.

“Yide should know that I am brave and have cavalry under my command. Yide, Shiyuan, if I were to let you two join the army, would you have the confidence?”

Liu Wu did not explain too much to others, but looked at Pang Tong and Zhang Fei.

Pang Tong controlled the Jinyiwei and knew a lot of things.

Zhang Fei had been punished by him, and he had also led cavalry himself, so he knew a lot of things.

The hall suddenly became quiet, and everyone looked at Pang Tong and Zhang Fei in surprise.

Zhang Fei immediately jumped up and shouted to Liu Wu happily: “I am Zhang Fei and I am willing to follow you to fight against Cao’s cavalry!”

Pang Tong also stood up and bowed to Liu Wu, saying, “Shi Yuan is also willing to join the army and lend a helping hand to the lord!”

“This… Shi Yuan, you actually agreed?” Zhuge Liang was shocked and stunned when he saw that Pang Tong unexpectedly agreed.

(End of this chapter)