Chapter 397

Chapter 397

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Final Volume: The Rise and Fall of Kingly Ambitions, Unification of the World, Chapter 397: Four Paths Advance Together

The decisive report, spoken from the mouth of a child who knew only a few words, carried an indescribable impact.

She didn’t know who Cao Cao was, nor Zhang Miao, nor did she understand how important Cao Cao considered this message at this moment.

All she knew was that since Cao Cao had stationed himself in Dong Commandery after the chaos of Dong Zhuo, Zao Zhi, appointed as the Colonel of Agricultural Settlements, had been highly valued under Cao Cao’s command. He had developed the local agriculture and civilian affairs, not only providing military rations for the Yanzhou army but also teaching the farming skills to the people under the guidance of Zao Zhi and his subordinates.

Thus, she was well aware that Zao Zhi had a teaching and nurturing grace toward them, someone they could rightfully call a “parental official.”

If this unidentified general, who seemed to be under someone else’s control, needed her to deliver a message to someone else, she might have hesitated. For example, if the name Xiahou Yuan had been written on the paper, it would have been as incomprehensible as a divine scripture to her.

But now, on the paper were the two characters “Tuntian” (agricultural settlements), which she could recognize, and it pointed to a safe figure for her.

The father hesitated only for a moment before making a decision. “There’s an old horse in the neighboring village, no good for battle but still useful for running errands. Let’s go! Since it’s Colonel Zao Zhi, we’ll take the gamble!”

When someone needs to entrust intelligence to a child for recognition, even if there are other ways to escape danger, the risk is likely not low. If the other party truly knows Zao Zhi, then they owe their harvests these past years to Colonel Zao, and they should help!

They didn’t know if delivering the message at this speed would still be in time, but if they ignored it as if they hadn’t seen it, thinking about how they survived the years of natural disasters, he felt he would be betraying his conscience.

Fortunately, at the break of dawn, they successfully arrived at the gates of Puyang City. After informing them of the urgent matter to see Zao Zhi, they handed Cao Cao’s letter to him.

The letter, unfolded from its crumpled state and folded again, seemed mismatched with Cao Cao, the Governor of Yanzhou. But when Zao Zhi opened it, he could confirm it was indeed Cao Cao’s handwriting.

The moment he saw the contents, his expression changed drastically. After arranging for the father and daughter to be settled, he immediately rushed toward the Yanzhou Prefecture.

Upon hearing the contents of the letter, Xiahou Yuan, who was present, angrily slammed the table. “How dare Chen Gongtai act like this! And that Zhang Mengzhuo is also an unreasonable fellow, actually joining forces with the Yanzhou clans to make such a move.”

Xiahou Yuan didn’t think for a moment that this news could be a trick to deceive him.

This bizarre method of communication was truly unheard of.

For Cao Cao to use such an unconventional method to send a message to the prefecture could only mean the situation had indeed reached a troublesome point.

But this news was indeed quite bad.

The betrayal of Chen Gong and Zhang Miao, the defection of the Yanzhou clans—if this were under Qiao Yan’s command, it would be equivalent to Cheng Yu joining forces with the Han imperial relatives. For Qiao Yan, who had vast territories, it would still be difficult to handle, let alone Cao Cao, who only controlled Yanzhou and Yu Province.

Xiahou Yuan had always been more loyal and brave than thoughtful, often admonished by Cao Cao to act cautiously. But if he could remain calm upon hearing about the situation in Yanzhou, he might as well be called a saint.

“Now is not the time for anger,” Man Chong spoke up. “Fortunately, the Prefect discovered Chen Gongtai’s unusual movements first, taking the initiative into his own hands. If Zhang Mengzhuo and Chen Gongtai had coordinated an inside-outside attack within Chenliu, it would have been a disaster.”

“However, Chen Gongtai’s reputation and connections in Yanzhou need no elaboration. We don’t know how many in the Prefect’s forces have already been swayed. The number of generals we can mobilize at this moment is still limited.”

Xiahou Yuan glanced at Man Chong, thinking about how Cao Cao had left the prefecture affairs to Man Chong before leaving Puyang, and how Man Chong had actually been recommended by Chen Gong. He felt the urge to grab Zao Zhi by the collar and ask why he didn’t make some adjustments, only notifying those with close ties to Cao Cao who would surely obey him.

But considering Man Chong’s upright and strategic demeanor over the years, which was indeed more effective than his own thinking, and Cao Cao’s appointment before leaving, he really had nothing to say.

When he looked at Man Chong, he saw him meeting his gaze with a frank and resolute attitude. Realizing this wasn’t the time for internal strife, he suppressed his frustration.

“Please, Lord Boning, advise us on what to do now.”

Seeing that Xiahou Yuan had adjusted his mood, Man Chong felt slightly relieved, knowing that cooperation at this moment was far more important than hastily sending troops. He continued, “The Prefect’s forces are not all in Dong Commandery. What we can use are only General Xiahou and General Cao Zixiao. But we need at least three routes of troops, and if we include those staying behind, that makes four.”

After Xiahou Dun’s defeat in Yingchuan, he remained stationed in Yu Province, perhaps wanting to regain face from Qiao Yan.

Half a year ago, after Cao Chun escorted Cao Cao to the meeting at Hulao Pass, Cao Cao, unsure if Qiao Yan would break the agreement dividing Yingchuan and Runan, sent Cao Chun over as well.

Cao Hong, Cao Ang, and Xu Chu were all in Cao Cao’s army during the campaign at Hulao Pass.

The forces of the Li family from Juye were stationed in Taishan Commandery in Yanzhou, along with Yu Jin, who Cao Cao had recruited from Bao Xin’s forces, guarding against Qiao Yan’s troops in Xuzhou to prevent a direct invasion.

Thus, in Dong Commandery, only Xiahou Yuan and Cao Ren remained.

Cao Ren asked, “Which four routes are you referring to?”

“One team naturally needs to assist the eldest son and General Zilian. The Prefect explicitly stated in the letter that he and the eldest son agreed on a three-day rescue window. One day has already passed, and the speed of sending troops is slower than a typical forced march. We must send troops immediately, without any hesitation.”

Cao Ren nodded. “That’s natural.”

Cao Ang was being groomed as Cao Cao’s successor, and Cao Hong was a close relative of Cao Cao. There was no way they could let anything happen to them.

“For this team, I suggest detouring north of Baima and Yan County, arriving at Suanzao from the northwest, pretending to be Luoyang troops taking advantage of our internal strife to launch a surprise attack. The leading officers cannot be familiar faces like General Xiahou or General Cao from the Chenliu garrison.”

Xiahou Yuan frowned. “But didn’t you just say that the only generals who can lead troops from Dong Commandery are me and Zixiao?”

“That’s true, but more accurately, only the two of you have the official titles to lead troops. That doesn’t mean the Prefect only has two people under his command.” Man Chong’s solemn tone naturally carried a convincing force. “Don’t forget, once the Prefect escapes from Zhang Mengzhuo, we still have room for counterattack. As long as they cannot confirm the final outcome, the Chenliu garrison won’t face an all-out assault from the enemy. This gives us an opportunity.”

Before Xiahou Yuan could ask further, Man Chong explained, “I want to ask Colonel Zao and the Colonel of the Vanguard to lead this rescue team.”

The Colonel of the Vanguard that Man Chong mentioned was named Yue Jin, whom Cao Cao had recruited from the local talents when he was in Dong Commandery. Though short in stature and lacking the imposing physique of a typical general, his courage and loyalty were unquestionable, and Cao Cao had promoted him to a military officer.

With few battles in Yanzhou, Yue Jin was assigned to Zao Zhi as one of his deputies, responsible for selecting suitable militiamen from the agricultural settlements for training, earning him the title of Colonel of the Vanguard.

However, Yue Jin’s troops were far from well-trained and couldn’t compare to the Vanguard Battalion, but his bravery and loyalty were beyond doubt, making him an excellent candidate to lead the rescue mission at this moment.

Most importantly, Yue Jin didn’t come from any Yanzhou noble family. Instead, due to Cao Cao’s recognition of his talent, he was eager to make achievements. Rescuing Cao Ang and Cao Hong from their predicament required precisely this kind of boldness.

Cao Ren pondered for a moment and replied, “I think this choice is appropriate.”

According to Man Chong’s plan for the four routes, the first one he proposed was actually the least burdensome.

Having been in the military for a long time, Cao Ren had interacted with Yue Jin and knew his capabilities.

Cao Cao hadn’t given him major responsibilities before, instead entrusting him with tasks like training troops and suppressing bandits, all for the purpose of unleashing his potential at the right moment. Today was that moment!

Could they wait until they were driven out of Yanzhou by these so-called noble families before giving him a chance to shine?

Seeing Cao Ren’s agreement, Xiahou Yuan also nodded in approval. Man Chong continued, “The second route is to rescue the Prefect. The Prefect should currently be between Wating and Puyang. The forces accompanying him, including Zhang Mengzhuo and his subordinates, aren’t numerous. Thus, the focus isn’t on completely annihilating them but on how to safely extract the Prefect from their grasp, emphasizing adaptability. Therefore, this task also doesn’t need to be given to General Cao or General Xiahou.”

He pointed at himself. “I’ll handle this.”

Cao Ren gritted his teeth.

Cao Cao’s safety was undoubtedly the top priority in this situation, and this rescue mission shouldn’t be entrusted to an outsider.

But as Man Chong said, this rescue wasn’t about brute force. Otherwise, Cao Cao wouldn’t have needed such a method to deliver the message; he could have just galloped straight to Puyang City.

Zhang Miao had seen Cao Hong and Xiahou Yuan but hadn’t met Man Chong, making him the more suitable choice.

Cao Ren told himself to first listen to Man Chong’s plan for the third and fourth routes, which seemed to take precedence over rescuing Cao Cao, before refuting his proposal.

Yes, that’s how it should be.

Man Chong saw through Cao Ren’s thoughts but didn’t expose them, simply continuing, “The third and fourth routes, please decide among yourselves which generals will lead them.”

“This disaster originated in Chenliu, but Chen Gongtai couldn’t have the confidence to carry out such a subversive act in Yanzhou relying solely on the support of Chenliu’s scholars. In my opinion, there must be coordinated forces in Shanyang, Dongping, Jiyin, and other central Yanzhou regions.”

“If we wait until after rescuing the Prefect to suppress this, the panic of Yanzhou’s internal strife will surely spread across the commanderies, putting us in a disadvantageous position. Please have one general immediately lead troops to Dingtao in Jiyin, securing the main routes from other commanderies to Chenliu. If there’s any unusual activity, arrest those involved. If the situation at Suanzao turns unfavorable, we can retreat here and prepare for a counterattack.”

Cao Ren pondered. “So this deployment also serves as a contingency.”

“Exactly,” Man Chong said. “If this central coordination is handled well, we might be able to capture all the rebels in Yanzhou who responded to Chen Gongtai. As for how to deal with them, we’ll leave that to the Prefect’s decision.”

“As for the final route, I have a question for you all—”

“With the rise of Da Yong in Chang’an, how much attention will the Ye court have on us?”

Even Xiahou Yuan, who wasn’t known for strategic thinking, had to admit that the attention would be significant!

Yuan Shao would either quickly ensure Cao Cao was on his side or eliminate him if he showed any signs of aligning with Qiao Yan, never allowing him to become Qiao Yan’s ally.

It had been several days since Ye received news of Qiao Yan’s ascension. If Yuan Shao had any sense, he wouldn’t remain inactive at this moment.

Who could guarantee they weren’t already mobilizing troops to “secure the interior”?

Seeing the hesitant and worried expressions on Cao Ren and Xiahou Yuan’s faces, as if they already had an answer, Man Chong continued, “Before the Prefect makes a decision, please have the last general cross the Yellow River northward, heading straight to Dongwuyang, and immediately begin setting up northern defenses.”

“Before I bring the Prefect back to Puyang, we must not allow Yuan Shao’s forces to make any incursions!”

Cao Ren slammed the table. “This plan is feasible. If the Prefect and Zhang Mengzhuo’s path happens to avoid your search, having a route from Dongwuyang as support would perfectly fill the gap.”

To block Yuan Shao…








In Cao Ren’s eyes, this move should definitely be called a good one.

The reason why these Yanzhou noble families would rebel against Cao Cao, although not explicitly stated in the letter Cao Cao sent to Zao Zhi, Cao Ren could still guess the general idea.

Their Pei State Cao family’s background was indeed much worse compared to those pure and noble families.

This identity stain couldn’t be completely erased just because Cao Cao controlled Yanzhou and Yuzhou and was granted the title of General of the Chariots and Cavalry.

Even in the hearts of these Yanzhou noble family members, Cao Cao’s rise to this position was inseparable from their support.

Even those Xiliang bandits knew to choose a famous scholar as their leader when they rebelled, serving as an external image benchmark; the noble families in Yang Province also despised Sun Ce, the capable and warlike governor, and even contributed to his death; so what about Yanzhou?

If they had to choose between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao as the leader of Yanzhou, they would definitely have a thousand reasons to abandon Cao and choose Yuan.

But this has nothing to do with their loyalty to the Han Dynasty, it’s just to make their interests more stable, so stop with the high-sounding rhetoric!

Unfortunately, Cao Ren understood this problem, but Cao Cao had already strictly forbidden him from making any public judgments.

This precaution is now a necessity of the times.

Cao Ren couldn’t help but show a bit more approval in his gaze towards Man Chong.

Chen Gong is not a good guy, he actually betrayed Cao Cao at such a critical moment, even putting him in danger, but the person he recommended seems to be not only capable in law enforcement, but also a genius in military strategy.

If Cao Ren were to conduct such an analysis, he definitely couldn’t cover all aspects and come up with these four routes at the same time.

Fortunately, with one less Chen Gongtai, they still have a Man Boning!

“Also, there must still be someone in Puyang City to hold the fort,” Man Chong thought for a moment and then spoke again, “It’s just dawn now, our gathering should not have been noticed by most people yet, but the subsequent troop movements will inevitably leak information.”

“While moving the troops, we also need to quickly secure the people in the city who were Chen Gongtai’s old subordinates to prevent them from causing chaos in the city.”

“This person should have enough reputation and wisdom.”

Cao Ren didn’t even think before asking, “Where do we have such a person now?”

If there really was one, they should have appeared in Man Chong’s mouth when assigning duties earlier, why wait until now?

But the next moment he heard Man Chong say with absolute certainty, “Of course there is. I was only talking about suitable people for the expedition, I never said we are limited to that.”

“Let Lady Ding hold the center, with Lady Bian assisting, what do you all think?”

Lady Ding is Cao Cao’s original wife, Cao Ang’s foster mother.

Any of Cao Cao’s old subordinates in the city who still have a bit of loyalty to Cao Cao would not disobey her commands while she holds the fort.

This Lady Ding also has a decisive and resolute temperament, just right to represent Cao Cao in conveying a reassuring attitude to the soldiers and civilians at such a critical moment.

And Lady Bian is the mother of Cao Pi and Cao Zhang, mentioned by Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting when they decided to flee the Qiao family. During the Dong Zhuo rebellion, Lady Bian followed the army, and after Cao Cao fled Luoyang, it was she who gathered Cao Cao’s family and remnants, orderly withdrew from Luoyang, and saved everyone, not falling into enemy hands as hostages. She is indeed a meticulous and wise woman.

Although it seems a bit strange to have two ladies decide the important matters of Puyang instead of generals guarding the city, when Man Chong proposed this decision, everyone present had to admit that this is indeed the best solution at this moment.

“Miao Cai,” Cao Ren looked towards Xiahou Yuan and said, “Both of them need to save people, they must set off first, so let’s go and inform the two ladies of the situation and persuade them to take on this responsibility.”

This statement already revealed his agreement.

Seeing Xiahou Yuan nod, Man Chong immediately continued, “Alright, let’s do it this way. Zao Xiaowei and I will mobilize the troops, we must set off before Chen Shi.”

All arrangements are in place, in the face of this sudden change, Cao Cao has done his best to adapt, and they must also quickly perform their duties and fill in the gaps, absolutely no dragging feet.

But as they scattered and walked out of the state government gate, Zao Zhi couldn’t help but sigh when he thought of the heavy responsibility behind sending troops to support Chenliu.

“Zao Xiaowei really doesn’t need to worry so much,” Man Chong, walking the same path, happened to notice this action and comforted him.

As soon as he finished speaking, he pointed in a direction, “Look there.”

Zao Zhi followed his pointing direction and saw that the two messengers did not stay at the arranged resting place as he had arranged, but were looking towards them from a distance, seemingly wanting to know the result of their message, whether they could quickly return home to farm.

He quickly had someone explain a few more words to them, and only after seeing him did the two seem to be convinced and followed the servant’s footsteps, disappearing from his sight.

“Some things cannot be faked, such as the look these two messengers gave you,” Man Chong spoke up, interrupting Zao Zhi’s gaze still fixed on the direction where the figures disappeared.

Zao Zhi was stunned, “You’re right.”

Man Chong smiled, “But look, those who intend to pull the prefect down do not understand this truth. To them, these common farming people everywhere cannot play any role in the upper-class struggles. Little do they know, the Son of Heaven of Da Yong in Chang’an has already set an example—what the people desire is the true way.”

And it just so happened that Cao Cao grasped this truth, successfully delivering the message.

Zao Zhi suddenly relaxed, couldn’t help but smile, “Yes, only those who win the hearts of the people have the possibility of victory.”

From the eyes of those two, one big and one small, he could clearly see a message in this silent communication, his years of contribution in the Yanzhou region were not in vain.

Not only did he accumulate the surplus grain now stored in the warehouses of various counties, making preparations for this year’s unforeseen needs, but also accumulated the people’s confidence and dependence on them.

This confidence finally blossomed this spring, becoming an existence that cannot be ignored.

What was Cao Cao thinking when he chose to write the title of Tuntian Xiaowei in the letter?

Probably not just thinking that his cotton business back then didn’t lose money.

Thinking of this, Zao Zhi, responsible for the Tuntian, also couldn’t help but speak with a heroic attitude, “With your words, if I can’t bring back the eldest son and General Cao Zilian, I’ll offer my head!”

“What do I need your head for…” Man Chong couldn’t help but retort, “Let me give you two more pieces of advice—”

“One is, the spring wind is strong, if you can use fire to reduce casualties, use it. This rebellion of the Yanzhou noble families, our already not abundant manpower will be further reduced, so don’t worry about them being our former allies.”

Zao Zhi nodded.

Kindness at such times is not only useless but may also allow this sudden rebellion to spread throughout Yanzhou. It’s better to quickly suppress it.

Losing the military power held by Zhang Miao and Zhang Chao, the waves that other families can stir up will definitely be greatly reduced.

“Another is, be careful of the Hulao Pass direction. Although I said your route is to pretend to be troops from Luoyang, I’m a bit worried…”

Man Chong looked west and suddenly sighed.

In the past few years, Qiao Yan’s performance in attacking various provinces, not only in military strength but also in intelligence networks, is truly outstanding.

Perhaps only the word “outstanding” can describe it.

Because other families still haven’t figured out all her information channels and communication methods, but can only watch her repeatedly use information differences to achieve victories that ordinary people can’t anticipate.

So, it’s been a day since the shocking change in Yanzhou, are the Luoyang garrison inside Hulao Pass really still unaware of it?

Perhaps not!

But if the Yanzhou soldiers’ rebellion initiated by Chen Gong involves Yuan Shao from the north, it’s already enough to give them a headache, if Qiao Yan is also involved—

Man Chong even thinks, instead of saying that all routes have people to fight, keeping the situation under control, it’s better to just surrender.

But such words really don’t need to be said to Zao Zhi, especially not to the more impatient Xiahou Yuan and Cao Ren.

Just as he thought of this, he suddenly heard Zao Zhi reply, “You just told me not to worry, but today you’re the one worrying first. Anyway, let’s act first. Don’t wait until I’ve reached Suanzao territory, and you still haven’t welcomed the prefect back.”

“Stop saying such sarcastic words,” Man Chong replied, “Then let’s hope we each have good news!”

Yes, thinking more at this time is useless, better to first bring back Cao Cao.

Although Cao Cao wrote in the letter that Zhang Miao has been friends with him for many years, if this letter can be smoothly delivered to Zao Zhi, it means he is in a relatively safe state.

But such friendship is the last thing to bet on!

If we’re talking about friendship, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao are old acquaintances.

And just as Man Chong guessed, Yuan Shao has already set off from Ji Province, approaching the border of Ji Province and Yanzhou.

The boundary between Ji Province and Yanzhou is a bit special, it’s not a strictly defined boundary, so Man Chong suggested the troop stationing location is Dongwuyang, not some river or mountain boundary.

Two hundred years ago, during Wang Mang’s new policy period, the Yellow River broke its banks.

This breach pushed the Yellow River, originally on the boundary between Ji Province and Yanzhou, a distance into Yanzhou, and due to Wang Jing’s river management efforts, plus the new river course being more suitable for the Yellow River’s operation, this new river course was fixed, only some remnants can be seen in the old river course.

Yuan Shao rode his horse, and as he crossed this hidden boundary, his gaze looked south, hiding some unspeakable ambition.

He told Xu You that he was going to Yanzhou to confirm that Cao Cao must not defect at this time and to stabilize this alliance.

But he couldn’t help but have a thought flash through his mind when he received the news of Qiao Yan’s coronation—

If he could also merge Yanzhou into the territory he controls, wouldn’t he no longer be limited to the regions of Ji Province and Qing Province.

Yanzhou, Xuzhou, and Yuzhou are almost connected, holding such resources, in the east-west confrontation, he wouldn’t have to be so timid towards Qiao Yan!

So much so that at this moment, while thinking he should take advantage of Bingzhou’s emptiness to launch an attack, he also appeared in Yanzhou in a seemingly aggressive but actually evasive manner!

The Yellow River can change its course, encroaching eighty miles into Yanzhou’s territory, why can’t he use Yanzhou’s resources to strengthen himself at this time, giving the Han rule, which is precarious with the appearance of the Da Yong dynasty, a chance to stand again!

Thinking of this, Yuan Shao instructed the disguised merchants following him, “Speed up, and remember your identities firmly.”

After saying this, he said to Xu You who was traveling with him, “After we cross the river from Dongwuyang and temporarily reside in Cangting, please go west for me.”

Yuan Shao is well aware of the unstable factors within Yanzhou.

One is the restless noble family forces in Yanzhou.

Another is the force in Chenliu second only to Cao Cao.

Contacting the noble families is naturally best done by Yuan Shao himself.

Observing whether the Chenliu area has any hidden conflicts due to Cao Cao’s retreat and Qiao Yan’s coronation is the forte of strategists like Xu You.

But at this moment, who is staring at the Chenliu land with the identity of a strategist besides Xu You and them?

Guo Jia leaned on the city wall of Hulao Pass, looking towards the mountain path where the Yanzhou region couldn’t be seen, with a playful expression.

Today, a secret letter from Qiao Yan was delivered to his desk.

On it was written a line—

Those who resist stubbornly will die.

If Yanzhou is to be conquered by them, are these stubborn noble family forces the ones who resist stubbornly?